State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable EconomyW. W. Norton & Company, 2008 - 269 pages Environmental issues were once regarded as irrelevant to economic activity, but today they are dramatically rewriting the rules for business, investors, and consumers. Around the world, innovative responses to climate change and other environmental problems are affecting more than $100 billion in annual capital flows as pioneering entrepreneurs, organizations, and governments take steps to create the Earth's first sustainable global economy. This volume examines new technologies and advances from around the world that show promise as a means to create a sustainable global economy and stop the depletion of natural resources and the environment. Featuring chapters on renewable energy, innovations in clean production, commons resources, trade policy, finance for sustainability, new economic yardsticks, and many other topics, [this book] is [a] global-level publication to showcase a wide range of diverse innovations and to demonstrate their near-term potential to put whole societies on a sustainable path. Common to these innovations is a rethinking of key economic assumptions and business practices to create economies that meet people's needs while protecting the planet. -- From back cover. |
Contents
Seeding the Sustainable Economy | 3 |
A New Bottom Line for Progress | 18 |
Rethinking Production | 32 |
The Challenge of Sustainable Lifestyles | 45 |
Meat and Seafood The Global Diets Most Costly Ingredients | 61 |
Building a LowCarbon Economy | 75 |
Improving Carbon Markets | 91 |
Water in a Sustainable Economy | 107 |
Banking on Biodiversity | 123 |
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Common terms and phrases
agriculture approach areas Bank biodiversity build capital carbon challenge Chapter climate change companies conservation consumers consumption corporate costs countries create credits economic ecosystem effect efficiency efforts electricity emissions energy Environment environmental example farms fish forest fuel Fund future global goal Green groups growing growth human impact important improve increase indicators industrial Initiative innovation Institute International investment land less living Low-Carbon Economy measures meat meet ment million natural October offsets organizations PAYING percent plants poor practices press release production progress projects reduce renewable Report require Research response seafood September share social society Source species standards Sustainable technologies tion trade United University viewed Washington waste wetland World York