Worldwatch Institute

IDENTIFICATION: Independent research organization that focuses on critical global issues

DATE: Established in 1974

The Worldwatch Institute provided important information about the environment to world leaders, policymakers, and the public in general. Through its fact-based analyses and the ideas it offered, the institute helped to shape world opinion regarding environmental protection, development, and sustainable use of resources.

The Worldwatch Institute, the first research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues, was founded in 1974 by Lester Brown, one of the world’s most influential thinkers. Based in Washington, DC, the institute was an interdisciplinary research organization that aims to help create an environmentally sustainable society that is capable of adequately meeting human needs. For this purpose, it focused on some of the twenty-first century’s most pressing global challenges: climate change, resource degradation, growth, and poverty.

The Worldwatch Institute used the best available scientific evidence to perform analyses that help shape the views and positions of decision makers and leaders around the world. It aimed to promote the development of innovative solutions to global problems by bringing together the public and private sectors. The institute worked with a global network of 150 partners and affiliates in forty countries and produced publications, including most notably the influential yearly report titled State of the World, which was translated into thirty-six languages.

The main programs of the Worldwatch Institute were climate and energy, food and agriculture, green economy, China, India, and transforming cultures. These different programs were described as follows on the institute’s dedicated Web site:

• The Climate and Energy Program was dedicated to accelerating the transition to a low-carbon energy system based on sustainable use of in concert with major energy-efficient gains.
• The Food and Agriculture Program highlighted the benefits to farmers, consumers, and ecosystems that can flow from food systems that are flexible enough to deal with shifting weather patterns, productive enough to meet the needs of expanding populations, and accessible enough to support rural communities.
• The Green Economy Program recognized that the global environmental and economic crises have common origins and must be tackled together. The program sought to offer solutions that enhanced human well-being and reduce inequities while protecting the planet.
• The China Program sought to help decision makers within China and around the globe better understand environmental challenges and opportunities.
• The India Program tracked key developments in India and sought to engage today’s decision makers and tomorrow’s leaders on all national and global issues.
• The Transforming Cultures Program sought to transform today’s consumerist culture into a culture of sustainability.

In addition to these program areas, the Worldwatch Institute monitored human health, water resources, biodiversity, governance, and environmental security around the world.

The Worldwatch Institute’s numerous publications were intended to enable decision makers in government, civil society, business, and academia to keep track of the latest developments concerning the and issues of sustainability. The institute’s most significant publication, its annual State of the World, provided an assessment of global environmental problems and the innovative ideas proposed and applied across the globe to address them. Every year this report had a particular focus; for example, the 2010 volume is subtitled Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability. The 2009 volume focused on global warming, and the 2008 volume examined innovations for a sustainable economy. The institute offered a “State of the World at a Glance” feature on its Web site that provided lists and brief explanations of the key facts and innovations noted in each State of the World volume.

Among its many other publications, the institute produced Vital Signs Online, which provided the latest data and analyses necessary for an understanding of critical global trends, including population growth, loss, growth in energy consumption, and rising carbon emissions. World Watch Magazine, which was published bimonthly, offered cutting-edge analysis of social and environmental issues. The organization ended the publication of its magazine in 2010. After releasing one final State of the World publication, the Worldwatch Institute closed in 2017 based on a decision made by its board of directors.

Bibliography

Brown, Lester. “Worldwatch.” In Life Stories: World-Renowned Scientists Reflect on Their Lives and on the Future of Life on Earth, edited by Heather Newbold. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.

Nelson, David E. “In Praise of Lester Brown.” Futurist 42, no. 6 (2008).

"Stae of the World 2017 | Earth Ed: Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet." Stanford, 23 June 2017, mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/state-world-2017-earthed-rethinking-education-changing-planet/. Accessed 24 July 2024.

Wallis, Victor. “Lester Brown, the Worldwatch Institute, and the Dilemmas of Technocratic Revolution.” Organization and Environment 10, no. 2 (1997): 109-125.

Worldwatch Institute. State of the World. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.