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The Worldwatch Institute was a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., founded by
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. BB ...
. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten
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 des ...
research organizations by Globescan Survey of Sustainability Experts. Brown left to found the Earth Policy Institute in 2000. The institute terminated in 2017, after publication of its last '' State of the World Report''. Worldwatch.org was unreachable from mid 2019.


Mission

The mission of the Institute read: "Through research and outreach that inspire action, the Worldwatch Institute works to accelerate the transition to a
sustainable 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 livin ...
world that meets human needs. The Institute's top mission objectives are universal access to
renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
and nutritious food, expansion of
environmentally sound Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...
jobs and development, transformation of cultures from consumerism to sustainability, and an early end to
population growth Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...
through healthy and intentional childbearing." The Worldwatch Institute aimed to inform policymakers and the public about the links between the
world economy The world economy or global economy is the economy of all humans of the world, referring to the global economic system, which includes all economic activities which are conducted both within and between nations, including production, consumption, ...
and its environmental support systems. Research conducted by the institute was integrative or interdisciplinary and global in scope. Worldwatch's priority programs included: *Building a low-carbon energy system that dramatically reduces the use of
fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...
and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. *Nourishing the Planet - methods that create a
sustainable food A sustainable food system is a type of food system that provides healthy food to people and creates sustainable environmental, economic and social systems that surround food. Sustainable food systems start with the development of sustainable agr ...
production system that provides a healthy, nutritious diet for all while sustaining the land, water, and biological resources on which life depends. The project resulted in the Worldwatch Institute's flagship publication, ''State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet''. * Transforming economies, cultures, and societies that meets human needs, promotes
prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notion ...
, and is in harmony with nature. Worldwatch also monitored human health, population,
water resources Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slight ...
, biodiversity, governance, and environmental security.


History

* 1974—The institute was founded by Lester Brown. * 1975—The first ''Worldwatch Paper'' was published. * 1984—First State of the World published. * 1988—''World Watch Magazine'' was launched. * 1992—''Vital Signs'', Worldwatch's third annual series, was premiered. * 2000—
Christopher Flavin Christopher Flavin is the former president of the Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization focused on natural resource and environmental issues, based in Washington, DC. He is also a founding member of the Board of Directors of ...
became President of Worldwatch in October. * 2000
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. BB ...
left, to found the Earth Policy Institute in 2001. * 2008—Worldwatch hosted the 20th Anniversary of the
James E. Hansen James Edward Hansen (born March 29, 1942) is an American adjunct professor directing the Program on Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions of the The Earth Institute, Earth Institute at Columbia University. He is best known for his research ...
hearings. * 2010. July/August edition of ''World Watch magazine'' was the last. * 2011—
Robert Engelman Robert Engelman is an American author and former journalist who writes about the environment and population and serves as Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute. He was President of the Institute from 2011 until 2014. His book ''More: Population ...
became President of Worldwatch in October. * 2014—Ed Groark became Acting Interim President of Worldwatch. * 2017 Ceased operations after its last ''State of the World'' report was published.


Publications

Worldwatch Institute publications have been published in more than three dozen languages by its global partners in 40 countries. Worldwatch publications include: * The '' State of the World'' report is an annual assessment of urgent global environmental problems and the innovative ideas proposed and applied across the globe to address them. * ''Vital Signs'' tracks social, environmental and economic trends and publishes data and analysis.


See also

*
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. BB ...
, founder of Worldwatch Institute * Ed Ayres, former editor of ''Worldwatch'', which ceased publication in 2010. *
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 des ...
* Environmental Movement * List of environmental organizations *
World Nuclear Industry Status Report ''The World Nuclear Industry Status Report'' is a yearly report on the nuclear power industry. It is produced by Mycle Schneider, an anti-nuclear activist and a founding member of WISE-Paris, which he directed from 1983 to 2003. 2019 Report The 2 ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Environmental organizations based in Washington, D.C. Organizations established in 1974 1974 establishments in Washington, D.C. Think tanks based in the United States Human overpopulation think tanks Population concern advocacy groups Population concern organizations