The ''State of the World'' (''SoW'') was a series of books published annually from 1984 to 2017 by the U.S. based

Worldwatch Institute The Worldwatch Institute was a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., founded by Lester R. Brown. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan Su ...

, a thinktank that was founded in the 1970s by renowned environmentalist

Lester R. Brown Lester Russel Brown (born March 28, 1934) is an American environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and former president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C. BBC ...

and ceased operations in 2017. The series attempted to identify the planet's most significant

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

al challenges. The 2010 edition discussed different ways of changing current cultures such that it felt as natural to live sustainably as living as a consumer felt at the time. The 2011 edition looked at the

global food crisis Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

and surrounding environmental and social problems, with a particular emphasis on global innovations that could help solve that worldwide problem. The 2012 edition showcased innovative projects, creative policies, and fresh approaches that were advancing

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The ...

in the twenty-first century. The 2013 edition defined the term

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

, and assessed attempts to cultivate it.

Editions

*''State of the World 1984'' *''State of the World 1985'' *''State of the World 1986'' *''State of the World 1987'' *''State of the World 1988'' *''State of the World 1989'' *''State of the World 1990'' *''State of the World 1991'' *''State of the World 1992'' *''State of the World 1993'' *''State of the World 1994'' *''State of the World 1995'' *''State of the World 1996'' *''State of the World 1997'' *''State of the World 1998'' *''State of the World 1999'' *''State of the World 2000'' *''State of the World 2001'' *''State of the World 2002'' *''State of the World 2003'' *''State of the World 2004: Special Focus: The Consumer Society'' *''State of the World 2005: Redefining Global Security'' *''State of the World 2006: Special Focus: China and India'' *''State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future'' *''State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy'' *''State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World'' *''State of the World 2010: Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability'' *''State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet'' *''State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity'' **

The Path to Degrowth in Overdeveloped Countries "The Path to Degrowth in Overdeveloped Countries", written by Erik Assadourian, is the second chapter of the Worldwatch Institute's '' State of the World'' (2012), available for free online. In his chapter of the report, Assadourian defines degro ...

, ch. 2. *''State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?'' *''State of the World 2014: Governing for Sustainability'' *''State of the World 2015: Confronting Hidden Threats to Sustainability'' *''State of the World 2016: Can a City Be Sustainable?'' *''State of the World 2017: Earth ED: Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet''

External links

archived link at the Worldwatch Institute, last present 2019. 1984 in the environment Series of books Environmental non-fiction books {{environment-book-stub