"This twelfth edition in the State of the World series is appearing at a time when more and more people are aware of the effect of a rapidly rising human population on the earth's environmental support systems. The seemingly sudden collapse of the oceanic fishing economy; the rising expectations of China's 1.2 billion consumers; deforestation of the Indian subcontinent caused by the 'second India'; and the unmanageable tide of refugees around the world all point to a need for understanding the interrelation of population and environmental forces on a global scale. The opening chapter, 'Facing the Limits', will perhaps strike a chord with those who think environmental limits are unrelated to economic trends, such as seafood prices. This chapter describes the economic and social costs of unsustainable harvesting of natural resources from the decimated hardwood forests of the Ivory Coast to the idle fishing fleets of Newfoundland. Coupled with this hard look at our unsustainable world economy, the Worldwatch analysts have also researched and reported the trends that can lead us toward a future that is both sustainable and appealing. This year's edition also covers the welcome trends in the number of global environmental treaties; the growing revolution in energy leading to global use of hydrogen, the cleanest of fuels; the technologies that will allow us to create cars and buildings that use far less energy; and the idea that future economic growth will come from more efficient use of materials than from using up our natural resources and creating mountains of trash"--Provided by publisher.