The ''State of the World'' (''SoW'') was a series of books published annually from 1984 to 2017 by the U.S. based
Worldwatch Institute, 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 analysis, environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and former president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit rese ...
and ceased operations in 2017. The series attempted to identify the planet's most significant
environmental 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 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 approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
in the twenty-first century. The 2013 edition defined the term
sustainability
Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
, 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, 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
Book series
Environmental non-fiction books
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