The Commission on Monitoring of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) has submitted this report to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. It reviews: (1) the origin, objectives, and membership of SCOPE and the Monitoring Committee; (2) basic considerations for a global monitoring system; (3) environmental problems of critical importance; (4) environmental variables appropriate for monitoring; (5) the design of global environmental monitoring; and (6) operational and institutional arrangements. Eighteen recommendations for a global environmental monitoring system are presented based on the findings of the Monitoring Committee. They provide criteria for environmental management in developed countries as well as enabling developing countries avoid environmental disamenities and establish a rational system of natural resource management. The Committee has determined that such a global system can best be created through national efforts and by inter-governmental cooperation at the level of the United Nations, combined with strong supportive and advisory activities within the international scientific community. (BL)