State of the World 2002: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Toward a Sustainable Society

In preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, [this book] evaluates what has been achieved since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. Ten years ago, the leaders of the world produced a plan to begin creating a sustainable global economy, one that meets human needs while protecting and restoring the natural environment. How much progress has the world made toward that goal? With [the book] as your guide, you will learn about the problems facing the delegates in Johannesburg as they try to answer this question -from today's severe inequalities of wealth and income (1.2 billion people live on 1 [dollar] a day or less) to environmental threats such as climate change, growing numbers of tourists in fragile areas, and the proliferation of toxic chemicals. The authors also shed light on the possibilities for change and how existing technologies and resources can help solve many of our most pressing problems. Using renewables like wind power, the energy economy can be converted from oil to hydrogen. Poor farmers can grow more food by taking advantage of "free" biological services, like nitrogen-fixing plants and beneficial insects. And women can have fewer children when they have a chance to get an education and to act on their own decisions on when to have children. [The book] spells out priorities for the Johannesburg Summit in seven key areas: agriculture, energy policy and climate change, chemicals, international tourism, population growth, resource-based conflicts, and global governance. Decisions made today can make all the difference in our efforts to build a more stable and secure world in the future.-- From back cover.