State of the World 2009

State of the World 2009
Into a Warming World
a project of the WorldWatch Institute
Published by W. W. Norton, 2009
Paperback, 262 pages, $ 19.95
Book web page.

Copenhagen Climate Conference is coming soon to Denmark from December 7 to December 18. Mindful of the immanent threats of global warming and climate change, the world will be watching this United Nations meeting with the greatest hopes. This is not an issue that can be avoided or postponed.

And this is not an issue that can be solved in the meeting rooms alone. Every thinking person must educate herself/himself; learn the basics about the problems and the viable solutions.

Here are three good ways to learn more about climate change.

The Book and Film by Albert Gore

Gore's book and film, An Inconvenient Truth, summarizes the essence of Gore's research, using vivid and unforgettable images and concisely written ideas.

Gore's websites are also worth visiting:

Repower America
The Climate Project

350.org

At the website of 350.org you can join or organize local events to fight climate change.

State of the World 2009

State of the World — produced by the environmental research organization the WorldWatch Institute — is published every year.

This year's edition is unique: it is written by 47 different authors, and it focuses on one burning theme: climate change. The book's chapters — each one is an article worth reading — explain where we are now, what catastrophes will happen if we fail to act wisely and promptly, and what solutions we can apply to heal our aching planet. All the articles are scholarly — there are more than 50 pages of endnotes — without a trace of pedantry: every article is thoughtful and clear.

Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century, Earth's temperature has risen 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. We are quickly heading for a tipping point of 2.0 degrees warmer. Although that may sound like a small amount, the effects would be devastating:

• Increased loss of species and their natural habitats
• Loss of coastal properties and coastal flooding as the sea-level rises and glaciers melt.
• Massive shortages of drinkable water.
• Decline in food production in developing nations.

The book does not leave planet Earth tied to the railroad tracks in front of an oncoming train. It explains the many solutions that have been already taken, and many more that might be applied in the very near future.

State of the World is one of the few books that I call "indispensable", thanks to its reliable information, its depth of insights, and its underlying focus about how we can transform our troubled world into a thriving sustainable culture. This 2009 edition, focusing on solutions to climate change, should be on the bookshelf of every thinking person who cares about future generations.

Read this book carefully, and then take action: join the growing movement to cool the Earth.

— Michael Pastore

How to Buy the Book

Buy the book (ISBN: 9780393334180) from the publisher's website, or by phoning toll free: 1-877-539-9946 (in USA), or outside the USA, call 1-301-747-2340.