In the aftermath of the Cold War, it has become clear to citizens everywhere that it is not the march of armies that is the clearest threat to peace and stability but rather the disaster of pervasive resource loss, refugees who are forced across borders, and social instability that makes war primarily an action within, rather than between, states. Renner argues that global leaders and citizens must find a new sense of mission and destiny, and must reclaim the security terminology from war-making institutions. He shows that social, economic, and environmental stresses and pressures on societies worldwide call for a new definition of security, and hence for a new set of priorities. Poverty, unequal distribution of land, and the degradation of ecosystems are among the most pressing issues undermining security. Soldiers and tanks are at best irrelevant and at worst an obstacle to solving such problems. An understanding of security that fits today's world will require a shift from conflicts of national security to cooperation for global security. Instead of defense of the status quo, sustainable security calls for change and adaption, instead of "green-helmet" intervention forces, we will need to transform war-making institutions and create new priorities for sustainable development.

Fighting for Survival: Environmental Decline, Social Conflict, and the New Age of Insecurity (Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series)

Politics & Social Sciences

Renner, Michael

Politics & Government

W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.

This new book from the Worldwatch Institute sketches the shape of a new balance in security investments--one that de-emphasizes military means and territorial security and accentuates the environmental aspects of security. Accelerating social, economic, and environmental pressures are now undermining the security of societies around the world, according to security expert Michael Renner. Since the end of the Cold War, a volatile mix of environmental degradation, inequitable distribution of land and wealth, ethnic antagonisms, and rapid population growth is producing social and political strife, and even causing the wholesale disintegration of countries. The author argues that true security has less to do with how many tanks or soldiers a country can marshal and more with how well it protects its arable lands and watersheds and how well it manages to meet peoples social and economic needs. Military means are often irrelevant or even counterproductive in this new security equation; they are a depreciating asset. At a time when the United Nations has been devoting a sharply higher share of its resources to peacekeeping, while reducing spending on basic environmental and economic development, this new book provides a wake-up call for policy makers around the world.

Fighting for Survival: Environmental Decline, Social Conflict, and the New Age of Insecurity (Worldwatch Environmental Alert)

Business & Money

Economics

W.W.Norton&Company

This annual volume from the Worldwatch Institute shows in graphic form the key trends that often escape the attention of the news media and world leaders -- and that are often ignored by economic experts as they plan for the future. Written by the staff of the award-winning Worldwatch Institute, this book lets readers track key indicators that show social, economic, and environmental progress, or the lack of it. This authoritative data has been distilled from thousands of documents obtained from government, industry, scientists, and international organizations into forty-five "vital signs" of our times.
Vital Signs 1998 presents up-to-the-minute information on such environmental and sustainable development topics as global temperature, population growth, fossil fuel use, grain production, and fish catch. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics, providing a thorough, well-documented, and very accessible overview. Vital Signs is an excellent companion volume to Worldwatch's highly acclaimed State of the World series.

Vital Signs 1998: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future

Flavin, Christopher

Starke, Linda

Abramovitz, Janet N

Brown,Lester R.

This annual volume from the Worldwatch Institute shows in graphic form key trends that often escape the attention of the news media, world leaders, and economic experts, but should be integrated into their plans as they map out our global future. Written by the staff of the award-winning Worldwatch Institute, this book allows readers to track key indicators that show social, economic, and environmental progress, or the lack of it. Their authoritative data have been distilled from thousands of documents obtained from government, industry, scientists, and international organizations into forty-five "vital signs" of our times. Vital Signs 1999 presents up-to-the-minute information on environmental and sustainable development topics such as global temperature, population growth, Internet use, fossil fuel consumption, grain production, and fish catch. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics, providing a thorough, well-documented, and very accessible overview. Vital Signs is an excellent companion volume to Worldwatch's highly acclaimed State of the World series.

Vital Signs 1999: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future (Vital Signs: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future (Paperback))

Science & Math

Brown, Lester Russell

Halweil, Brian

Earth Sciences

This annual volume from the Worldwatch Institute shows in graphic form key trends that often escape the attention of the news media, world leaders, and economic experts, but should be integrated into their plans as they map out our global future. Written by the staff of the award-winning Worldwatch Institute, this book allows readers to track key indicators that show social, economic, and environmental progress, or the lack of it. These authoritative data have been distilled from thousands of documents obtained from government, industry, scientists, and international organizations into forty-five "vital signs" of our times. Vital Signs 2000 presents up-to-the-minute information on environmental and sustainable development topics such as global temperature, population growth, H.I.V./A.I.D.S., fossil fuel consumption, Internet use, income inequalities, grain production, and fish catch. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics, providing a thorough, well-documented, and very accessible overview. Vital Signs is an excellent companion volume to Worldwatch's highly acclaimed State of the World series.

Vital Signs 2000: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future (Vital Signs: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future (Paperback))

The Worldwatch Institute

Biological Sciences

Discusses trends in food and agriculture, energy, the atmosphere, the economy, transportation, health and society, the military, and the environment.

Vital Signs 2001: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future (Vital Signs: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future (Paperback))

Larsen, Janet

French, Hilary

Gardner, Gary

Worldwatch Institute

Lenssen, Nicholas

Dunn, Seth

Hwang, Ann

Mastny, Lisa

Mattoon, Ashley Tod

McGinn, Anne Platt

Nierenberg, Danielle

Roodman, David M

Sampat, Payal

Sheehan, Molly O

Young Sr, John E

Social Sciences

Swords into Plowshares: Converting to a Peace Economy (Worldwatch Paper ; 96)

Worldwatch Inst

This annual volume shows key trends that should be integrated into the planning of our global future. It enables readers to track key indicators that show social, economic and environmental progress, or the lack of it, into 45 vital signs of our time. Each trend is presented as an overview using both text and graphics.

Vital Signs 1999-2000: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future

Reference

Routledge

This ninth annual edition of Vital Signs takes the world's pulse by compiling a wide-ranging collection of trends that identify both problems and progress in the quest for a sustainable society. It highlights both alarming situations and encouraging developments. Part One is a comprehensive presentation of the key indicators in areas such as food, agriculture, energy, atmosphere, economics, transport and the military. Part Two provides in-depth special feature articles on: environmental features, such as transgenic crops and paper recycling; economic features, such as environmental taxes and corporate mergers; and social features, such as tuberculosis, prisons and women in politics.

Vital Signs 2000-2001: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future

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