Worldwatch

Statement of Worldwatch Senior Researcher Danielle Nierenberg to Mexican Congress

June 3, 2009 --
Washington, D.C. -- As health officials scramble to develop a vaccine for the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, there is reason to believe that the current swell is merely a sign of the larger pandemic to come. We should regard the current outbreak of H1N1 as a bad dress rehearsal for opening night. It is not a question of whether the virus will reemerge, but when, and we are woefully unprepared.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.-Innovations in food production and land use that are ready to be scaled-up today could reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to roughly 25 percent of global fossil fuel emissions and present the best opportunity to remove greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, according to a new report by the Worldwatch Institute and Ecoagriculture Partners.

As the price of carbon rises with new caps on emissions and expanding markets for carbon offsets, the contribution of land-based, or "terrestrial," carbon to climate change mitigation efforts could increase even further.    » read more »

May 8, 2009 -- Global wind capacity increased an estimated 27,051 megawatts in 2008, with cumulative installations up almost 29 percent. The United States led in new installations, surpassing Germany to rank first in wind energy cumulative capacity and electricity generation.

A new snapshot of wind energy trends from Worldwatch Institute analyzes data since 1980 and reveals that:

* For the first time last year, wind power represented Europe's leading source of new electric capacity (with 8,877 megawatts added), well ahead of natural gas at 6,939 MW and coal at 763 MW. By the end of 2008, wind power accounted for 8 percent of EU power capacity, enough to generate 4.2 percent of the region's electricity in a normal wind year.    » read more »

April 20, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.-The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Environmental Foundation named Maria Gunnoe, a tireless voice in the movement against mountaintop-removal coal mining, as a recipient of the prestigious 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize. The Worldwatch Institute was one of several organizations to nominate Gunnoe for the award, which recognizes individuals for their sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.    » read more »

Washington, D.C.—Growth in the human population abounds despite falling fertility rates, and where it heads in the future will continue to confound demographers, according to the latest Vital Sign Update from the Worldwatch Institute. With the number of women of childbearing age growing and future fertility trends unpredictable, closing the “gender gap”—the difference between women’s health, economic, educational, and political status relative to men—may be one key to slowing population growth.    » read more »

Washington, D.C.—The world spent 228 times as much on its militaries in 2006 as it did on U.N. peacekeeping operations, according to the latest Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute. United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world between July 2007 and June 2008 are expected to run to $7 billion—substantially higher than the record $5.6 billion spent in 2006–07. Yet world military budgets stood at a staggering $1,232 billion in 2006.    » read more »

11 January 2008 -- A new study says that environmental and social issues are shaping a new sustainable, global economy. The private environmental group, Worldwatch Institute in Washington, conducted the study. Producer Zulima Palacio and Jim Bertel tell us about it.

Worldwatch Institute says in its State of the World 2008 report that investors and economic trends are responding to climate change and other environmental problems. And it says the emergence of a new green or sustainable economy could represent a dramatic transformation of the economic system.    » read more »

Environment Driving Global Economy, Says Worldwatch Institute in State of the World 2008

Washington, D.C.— Pioneering entrepreneurs, nongovernmental organizations, and governments around the globe are inventing the Earth’s first sustainable global economy, according to State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy.    » read more »

McConnell, Feinstein call for Renewed Sanctions against Burmese Junta

June 14, 2007 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Thursday called on their colleagues to quickly approve their legislation to renew sanctions against the Burmese government. In addition to Senators McConnell and Feinstein, the bipartisan bill, “The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act,” has 57 cosponsors.    » read more »

05 June 2007 -- President Bush is in the German Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm for the three-day summit of the G-8 group of the world's leading industrial nations. The summit opens Wednesday amid protests and policy differences, as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from near Heiligendamm.

Air Force One touched down as scheduled in the northern German city of Rostock. The president and Mrs. Bush immediately boarded a helicopter for the short flight to Heiligendamm on the coast.    » read more »

May 15, 2007 -- On Wednesday, May 30, Worldwatch Senior Researcher Molly O’Meara Sheehan will attend the South African launch of State of the World 2007 at the Sustainable African Cities Seminar, held in Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth). The event is co-sponsored by the South African Cities Network, the Cities Alliance, and the Worldwatch Institute.    » read more »