Vital Signs 2007-2008: The Trends that Are Shaping Our Future (Vital Signs) by The Worldwatch Institute
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Book Reviews of Vital Signs 2007-2008: The Trends that Are Shaping Our Future (Vital Signs)
Book Review: A useful source for global data
Summary: 3 Stars
I've read every issue of Vital Signs since Worldwatch introduced it years ago. It contains a useful series of statistics on the state of the planet. A problem with the book, however, is the limited time frame of many of the charts. A lot of key environmental trends need to be tracked far back in time to see the total damage. A better book would be Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition by Lester Brown. I have a review on that on its page. I also have a list of future studies books on my profile. Brown was the orginal creator of Worldwatch and Vital Signs but quit Worldwatch and now runs the Earth Policy Institute. If you want to dowload digital versions of the data (for a fee) you can go the Worldwatch website.Book Review: World energy consumption is consistently breaking records and undermining climate and life on the planet
Summary: 5 Stars
World energy consumption is consistently breaking records and undermining climate and life on the planet, and the 44 trends tracked here in the annually-updated VITAL SIGNS are keys to understanding these trends and their sources. The largest polluter is the U.S.: the recommendation here is that Europe should be pressuring the US to join in international climate negotiations to head off catastrophic climate changes. High school, college and general-interest libraries alike will welcome this survey of facts which will provide both grounds for classroom discussion and food for thought.