Newswise — The Worldwatch Institute will release State of the World 2014: Governing for Sustainability, the latest edition of its signature book series, on April 29. This edition discusses the immediate need for governments, private entities, and social groups to work together as a means to create a more sustainable future.
State of the World 2014 Symposium and Launch
When: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 1:15 p.m. EDTWho: Michael Renner, Co-director of State of the World 2014Tom Prugh, Co-director of State of the World 2014
Panelists and speakers include: State of the World 2014 authors Gar Alperovitz, Petra Bartosiewicz, Colleen Cordes, Sean Sweeney, and Thomas Palley. This year’s keynote speaker is David Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College.
A reception with food and refreshments will follow the event.***
Where: Resources & Conservation Center1400 16th Street, NW, 1st Floor Conference Room, Washington, DC 20036Citizens expect their governments to lead on sustainability. But from largely disappointing international conferences like Rio+20 to the United States’ failure to pass meaningful climate legislation, government progress has been lackluster. That’s not to say leadership is absent; it just often comes from the bottom up rather than the top down. Action—on climate, species loss, inequity, and other sustainability crises— is being driven by local, people’s, women’s, and grassroots movements around the world, often in opposition to the agendas pursued by governments and big corporations.
These diverse efforts are the subject of the latest volume in the Worldwatch Institute’s highlyregarded State of the World series. The 2014 edition, marking the Institute’s 40th anniversary, examines both barriers to responsible political and economic governance as well as gridlock-shattering new ideas. The authors analyze a variety of trends and proposals, including regional and local climate initiatives, the rise of benefit corporations and worker-owned firms, the need for energy democracy, the Internet’s impact on sustainability, and the importance of eco-literacy. A consistent thread throughout the book is that informed and engaged citizens are key to better governance.
The book is a clear-eyed yet ultimately optimistic assessment of citizens’ ability to govern for sustainability. By highlighting both obstacles and opportunities, State of the World 2014 shows how to effect change within and beyond the halls of government. This volume will be especially useful for policymakers, environmental nonprofits, students of environmental studies, sustainability, oreconomics—and citizens looking to jumpstart significant change around the world.
About State of the WorldWorldwatch's flagship publication, State of the World, has educated a broad audience of students, journalists, policymakers, and concerned citizens about trends in sustainable development for a quarter century. The book has been published in 36 languages, and over the years it has authoritatively assessed issues ranging from population, energy, and agriculture to materials use, health, and trade policy. Topics are covered from a global perspective, with an emphasis on innovation and problem solving. State of the World is recognized as a classic of environmental literature, having attracted luminaries from Kofi Annan to Mikhail Gorbachev to write forewords for the book. News media, policymakers, and NGOs worldwide cite the book for its cutting-edge analysis, reliability, and careful documentation of its arguments, all marshaled to speed the global transition to a sustainable world.
RSVP for the event. Attendance by livestream is also available. Register for the live webcast.
About the Worldwatch InstituteWorldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C., that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than a dozen languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.
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