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HIDDEN THREATS CONFRONTING TO SUSTAINABILITY an introduction State of the World 2015
| Date post: | 15-Jul-2015 |
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Environment |
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HIDDEN THREATSCONFRONTING
TO SUSTAINABILITY
an introductionState of the World 2015
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Humanity is slowly coming to grips with the growing reality of a destabilized climate.
But many challenges remain undetected or underappreciated.
The world now needs to adopt solutions that fundamentally change systems of production and consumption—solutions that can adapt to the still-hidden threats to sustainability.
Energy, Credit, and the End of GrowthCould expensive energy spell the end of economic growth and undermine our welfare?
Chapter 2 | Nathan John Hagens
“We urgently need institutions and populations to begin to prepare, physically and psychologically, for a World With the same or less each year instead of more—a mindset that is not in our collective psyches or even imaginations.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
The Trouble with GrowthIs never-ending economic growth a threat that is hidden in plain view?
Chapter 3 | Peter A. Victor and Tim Jackson
“our preoccupation With economic groWth often has impeded action on issues that really Will improve human Well-being and the prospects
for all life on earth. this is the trouble With groWth.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Avoiding Stranded AssetsCan we avoid locking our investmentsinto unsustainable economic activities?
Chapter 4 | Ben Caldecott
“visionary management of policies, companies, and investments is needed
to ensure that neW investments are consistent With environmental health and resilience, and that
economies are Weaned, smoothly and efficiently, off investments that are
harmful to sustainability.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Mounting Losses of Agricultural ResourcesCould poor harvests and political tensionsdisrupt our fragile food supply?
Chapter 5 | Gary Gardner
“conserving the very base of food production—the land, Water, and climate that make crop groWth possible—is essential to ensure that the World’s farmers continue to
produce enough food for everyone.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
The Oceans: Resilience at RiskAre we pushing beyond the limitsof the oceans’ capacities?
Chapter 6 | Katie Auth
“taking urgent and concerted action to improve ocean health is an imperative, not because saving Whales
and coral reefs are not Worthy pursuits in and of themselves (they
are)... but because our livelihoods and our lives depend on the sea.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Whose Arctic Is It?Indigenous peoples and other northerners have the greatest stake in protecting the Arctic—but are their voices being heard?
Chapter 7 | Heather Exner-Pirot
“seeing the arctic exclusively as an ecosystem in need of preservation—and not as a homeland Where people have a right to live and Work—imposes a hidden threat to the long-term sustainability of the region.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Emerging Diseases from AnimalsIs human disruption of natural systems putting our own health and well-being at risk?
Chapter 8 | Catherine C. Machalaba, Elizabeth H. Loh, Peter Daszak, and William B. Karesh
“neW strategies for dealing With [emerging animal-borne diseases]offer the possibility that... humans once again can learn to live in balance With the natural ecology that supports us.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Migration as a Climate Adaptation StrategyWill we be ready to respond to migratingcommunities as our environment changes?
Chapter 9 | François Gemenne
“Whether climate-induced migration Will be an adaptation failure or
success depends not only on climate impacts, but—most importantly—on the policy choices that are made today.”
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
State of the World 2015: Confronting hidden threatS to SuStainability | WorldWatCh inStitute
Complete environmental impacts are not always readily visible.
But for every hidden threat, there also exists a hidden solution—which rarely appears in the mainstream media.
We have the opportunity to expose these threats and to commit to an ethic of stewardship, robust citizenship, and a systems approach to addressing the challenges that we face.
We think we understand environmental damage: pollution, water scarcity, a warming world. But these problems are just the tip of the iceberg.
In State of the World 2015, the flagship publication of the Worldwatch Institute, experts explore hidden threats to sustainability and how to address them. Eight key issues are addressed in depth, along with the central question of how we can develop resilience to these and other shocks.
State of the World is available for purchase at www.worldwatch.org/bookstore/state-of-the-world
1400 16th Street NW | Suite 430 | Washington, DC [email protected] | +1 (202) 745-8092
Founded in 1974 by farmer and economist Lester Brown, the Worldwatch Institute was the first independent research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental concerns.
We develop innovative solutions to intractable problems, emphasizing a blend of government leadership, private sector enterprise, and citizen action that can make a sustainable future a reality.
www.worldwatch.org
