State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future (State of the World) (Paperback)

by The Worldwatch Institute (Author)
Key Phrases: urban density, strong local economics, urban farming, United States, New York, Reducing Natural Disaster Risk (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The most comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible summaries . . . on the global environment. (Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson )

Product Description
“Top-ranked annual books on sustainable development.”—GlobeScan survey of sustainability experts In State of the World 2007, the Worldwatch Institute's award-winning research team focuses on the urbanization of our planet to provide policymakers, strategic planners, researchers, students, and concerned citizens with comprehensive analysis of the global environmental problems we face, together with descriptions of practical, innovative solutions. This report will show what is needed to foster sustainable cities on a planet where urban areas are home to half the human population and a far larger share of natural resource use.

Written in clear and concise language, with easy-to-read charts and tables, State of the World 2007 presents a view of our changing world that we, and our leaders, cannot afford to ignore. .

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (January 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393329232
• ISBN-13: 978-0393329230
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,320 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive and constructive look at the global urban environment, February 6, 2007

By	Maddies' mom (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews

This year's "State of the World" by Worldwatch Institute focuses on the global urban environment: water and sanitation, transportation, agriculture and farming, energy, natural hazard risks, pulic health, economics, and environmental justice. Each chapter lays out trends and statistics demonstrating some of the hazards the world might be facing with the current trends towards urbanization.

However, the book has a largely positive and constructive tone, with extensive use of examples and case studies of locales using innovative methods for protecting the environment and even attempting to reducing pollutants that might be global in their impacts. Case studies span the world - from Los Angeles to Timbuktu. The "city" provides a structure for problem-solving.

The book overall is comprehensive, with excellent writing and editing - some chapters are replete with data while others are written in a sweeping "big picture" context with long-term recommendations for future directions. This is a great resource for researchers, policy-makers, students, and anyone interested in understanding the risks and opportunities for the urban landscape.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sustainable Read, October 12, 2008

By	Donald A. Sayre "Don Sayre" (Hobbs, NM USA) - See all my reviews

A sustainable read.

This 25th Anniversary Edition of State of the World focuses on problems and solutions for progress toward a sustainable society. It is a periodical and almanac worth owning. The writing promotes an easy read for sustained digestion of its resources.

Fourteen Chapters by Worldwatch staffers, independent analysts, academics, and intellectual professionals arranged in 2-column newspaper format fill 253 pages, with dozens of boxes, tables, and figures plus hundreds of endnotes. Each chapter contributes to other chapters and to the understanding of sustainable development as a path, not a panacea. Instead of competing with other writings, the State of the World series complements the contemplations of other writers on interdisciplinary economic, social, and environmental topics.

Every chapter is true to its title. There are verbs of solution - seeding, rethinking, building, improving, engaging, mobilizing, investing, and banking. There are nouns of challenge -- sustainable economy, the commons, sustainable world, sustainable lifestyles, and sustainability. There are names to consider -- water, carbon, meat, seafood, biodiversity, global diet, human energy, trade governance, new approaches, and new bottom line.

Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law at Yale, Dan Esty, introduces the collection, "State of the World 2008 makes it clear that our planet and every individual on it face substantial environmental challenges. But there are signs of hope. As documented throughout this volume, the pace and scale of environmental innovation is extraordinary."

Christopher Flavin, President of Worldwatch, reports the focus is on innovations to achieve a sustainable economy. It is time to replace Adam Smith's outdated economic blueprint with creative experimentation, design for zero waste, and socially responsible investment.

Sustainable development is the new bottom line for genuine progress. Only an ecologically efficient economic system can meet humanity's needs without causing more catastrophic problems. Sustainable lifestyles need to be the vogue, embracing the ethical.

For example, institute a low carbon economy to de-esclate greenhouse gases and global warming (Sky Owe You's). Use social networking for water management and the Internet for wisdom management (commons sense). Start banking on biodiversity to move endangered resources from liabilities to assets (cap and trade).

Mobilize human energy, empower citizens and communities, partner with governments and markets, add an emphasis on self-reliance and you get sustainable development. Build assets and expand freedoms with knowledge as an incentive for human development and you get the shortest path to a sustainable economy.

Sustainability and regenerative investing share a common horizon, the delayed consumption of capital for later returns. We are in a sustainability revolution, with shareowners now activist stakeholders instead of simply bottom feeders.

Both today and tomorrow depend on universal aspirations to inspire innovation, better options, better choices, and genuine resource management skills for true sustainable wealth. Flavin wites, "Urgency and vision are the twin pillars on which humanity's hope now hangs."

Sustainability needs all the institutional ingenuity society can muster and harness to evolve into a broader, better focus for the good of humanity.

State of the World 2008, Innovations for a Sustainable Economy will stay fresh well beyond next year's edition by the Worldwatch Institute.

(Reviewed by the author of another Amazon product, "Inside ISO 14000: The Competitive Advantage of Environmental Management.")

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars satisfaction guaranteed!!!!!!!, February 18, 2008

By	G. Mulholland "the hammer" (new york city) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book was received in flawless condition, and service was prompt. I wish everything I'd invest in is this good.