Surviving climate

State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World

Publisher: Worldwatch Institute, 2009

Worldwatch's annual flagship publication remains the most authoritative "go-to" resource for those who understand the importance of nurturing a safe, sane, and healthy global environment through both policy and action.

State of the World 2009 is intended to inject new inspiration and energy into national and international climate negotiations by conveying the profound, long-term consequences of climate catastrophe, with an emphasis on the human and ecological effects of that transformation.

The 26th edition of the flagship series is far more than a book. It will be part of a two-year campaign to mobilise the world to combat climate change, focusing special attention on the Copenhagen climate agreement. Target constituencies include legislators, business and finance leaders, the media, the development community, and the young people whose lives will be most affected by climate change.

Cover page of the book / Photo credit: Worldwatch Institute

For this historic volume, Worldwatch has recruited an exceptional team of innovative thinkers and inspiring writers from rich and poor countries alike. R.K. Pachuari, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, authored the foreword, and leading climate change researchers and activists from around the world contributed their talents to this volume.

The book examines:

• The next-generation technologies that show the most promise for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions or removing these gases from the atmosphere
• Enforceable agreements that reward countries and individuals for cutting emissions
• Innovative strategies for building climate-change resilience in the poorest countries; and ideas for making sure the natural world survives the changes on the way.
• Policy changes needed to combat climate change and economic benefits that could flow from the transition, including the potential to create new industries and jobs in rich and poor countries alike