Citation
(2014), "State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 15 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE.24915aaa.010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?
Article Type: Books and resources From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 15, Issue 1
World Resources Institute, Island Press
Washington, DC
September 2013
464 pp.
US$ 22.00
ISBN 9781610914499
This latest edition of Worldwatch Institutes State of the World series explores the rhetoric surrounding sustainability, including how the term "sustainable" has become so widely used that it has become "sustainababble", at best indicating a slightly less damaging practice or product than the conventional alternative.
Some of the questions asked in the book include: is it time to abandon the concept altogether, or is there an accurate way to measure sustainability? If so, how can it be achieved? And if not, how is best to prepare for the inevitable ecological decline?
A number of scientists, policy experts, and thought leaders attempt to answer these questions, defining clear sustainability metrics and examining various policies and perspectives that encourage prosperity without diminishing the well-being of future generations. The final chapters of the book explore ways to prepare for drastic environmental change and resource depletion.
Walter Leal Filho
Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany