State of the World 1988

Fülszöveg

The health of the earth's inhabitants cannot be separated from that of the planet itself. More than one-fifth of Europe's forests are now damaged by air pollution and acid rain. Since 1973, the world has saved far more energy than it has gained from all new sources of supply combined. One of the greatest challenges will be to meet the energy needs of the poor without repeating the mistakes of the rich. The world may not have the financial resources to both sustain the arms race and make the investments needed to return to a sustainable development path. In preparing this assessment in each of the last fi ve years, the Worldwatch Institute has in effect given the earth an annual physical examination, checking its vitai signs. The readings are not reassuring: The earth's forests are shrinking, its deserts expanding, and its soils eroding-all at record rates. Each year thousands of plánt and animal species disappear, many before they are named or catalogued. The very temperature of the... Tovább

Fülszöveg

The health of the earth's inhabitants cannot be separated from that of the planet itself. More than one-fifth of Europe's forests are now damaged by air pollution and acid rain. Since 1973, the world has saved far more energy than it has gained from all new sources of supply combined. One of the greatest challenges will be to meet the energy needs of the poor without repeating the mistakes of the rich. The world may not have the financial resources to both sustain the arms race and make the investments needed to return to a sustainable development path. In preparing this assessment in each of the last fi ve years, the Worldwatch Institute has in effect given the earth an annual physical examination, checking its vitai signs. The readings are not reassuring: The earth's forests are shrinking, its deserts expanding, and its soils eroding-all at record rates. Each year thousands of plánt and animal species disappear, many before they are named or catalogued. The very temperature of the earth appears to be rising, posing a threat of unknown dimensions to virtually all the lifesupport systems on which humanity depends. State of the World 1988 warns that societies' use of fossil fuels poses unacceptable risks of climate change and environmental changes, just as previous editions have profiled the insupportable costs of nuclear power. Simply put, the question becomes: If not coal, and if not nuclear, then what? The authors sketch the vast promise that lies in improved energy efficiency and renewable power sources, and recommend policies to unleash this potential. Other chapters challenge leaders to reforest the earth, avoid a mass extinction of species, redesign farming and industry to curtail toxic chemicals, renew the global commitment to family planning, and halt the costly and ill-conceived Strategic Defense Initiative. As never before, humán prospects depend on such efforts to restore and manage the natural systems that underpin the global economy. Now appearing in most major languages-English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Germán-State of the World may be the world's most widely read public policy document. Hobart Rowen of the Washington Post described State of the World 1987 as "a ready-made agenda available for the Venice [economic] summit, carefully spelled out and documented." Flóra Lewis of the New York Times says, "The Worldwatch report has the courage to take a cool scientific look at what is happening and try to figure out the causes." The Los Angeles Times says it "carries a message of importance to policy planners of all nations." A Quality Paperback Book Club Selection Vissza