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Our Editorial and News Affiliates
Worldwatch Institute
The Worldwatch Institute offers a unique blend of interdisciplinary research, global focus, and accessible writing that has made it a leading source of information on the interactions among key environmental, social, and economic trends. Our work revolves around the transition to an environmentally sustainable and socially just society—and how to achieve it.
Website: http://www.worldwatch.org/
Contact:
Worldwatch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-1904
U.S.A.
Phone: 1.202.452.1999
Fax: 1.202.296.7365
worldwatch [AT] worldwatch [DOT] org
Energy Poverty Remains a Global Challenge for the Future
January 31, 2012 12:01 PM - Editor, Worldwatch Institute
Washington, D.C.—Despite massive gains in global access to electricity over the last two decades, governments and development organizations must continue to invest in electrification to achieve critical health, environmental, and livelihood outcomes, according to new research published by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online publication.
Global Natural Gas Consumption Regains Momentum
December 21, 2011 09:08 AM - Supriya Kumar, Worldwatch Institute
Washington, D.C.—Driven by surging natural gas consumption in Asia and the United States, global use of this form of fossil fuel rebounded 7.4 percent from its 2009 slump to hit a record 111.9 trillion cubic feet in 2010, according to a new Vital Signs Online report from the Worldwatch Institute. This increase puts natural gas’s share of total energy consumption at 23.8 percent, a reflection of new pipelines and natural gas terminals in many countries.
Global Nuclear Generation Capacity Falls
December 7, 2011 08:48 AM - Editor, Worldwatch Institute
Washington, D.C.—Due to increasing costs of production, a slowed demand for electricity, and fresh memories of disaster in Japan, production of nuclear power fell in 2011, according to the latest Vital Signs Online (VSO) report from the Worldwatch Institute. Despite reaching record levels the previous year, global installed nuclear capacity—the potential power generation from all existing plants—declined to 366.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2011, from 375.5 GW at the end of 2010.
Same Global Economic Output Needs More Energy, Worldwatch Finds
September 20, 2011 11:45 AM - Sheldon Yoder, Worldwatch Institute
Global energy intensity increased 1.35 percent in 2010, reversing a broader trend of decline over the last 30 years, according to a new Vital Signs Online article. Energy intensity, defined as total energy consumption divided by gross world product, has been growing faster than the global economy for the past two years, even though energy intensity overall has declined over the past decade. The article highlights reasons for these changes in emerging economies and industrialized countries, including China and the United States, and predicts that global energy intensity will return to an overall decline over the long term as economies opt for more sustainable development. Between 1981 and 2010, global energy intensity decreased by about 20.5 percent, or 0.8 percent annually. "During this period of decline, most developed countries restructured their economies and energy-intensive heavy industries accounted for a shrinking share of production," said Haibing Ma, Manager of Worldwatch’s China Program, who conducted the research. "New technologies applied to energy production and consumption significantly improved efficiency in almost every aspect of the economy," says Ma. Particularly during the surge of the knowledge-based economy (a term describing the rise of computer and digital technology and a shift away from producing items like cars and furniture to “knowledge” in the form of software and design innovations) from 1991 to 2000, global economic productivity increased without parallel increases in energy use.
Biofuels Make a Comeback Despite Tough Economy
August 30, 2011 12:16 PM - Worldwatch, Worldwatch Institute
Global production of biofuels increased 17 percent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion liters, up from 90 billion liters in 2009. High oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States, among other countries, are all factors behind the surge in production, according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute’s Climate and Energy Program for the website Vital Signs Online. The United States and Brazil remain the two largest producers of ethanol. In 2010, the United States generated 49 billion liters, or 57 percent of global output, and Brazil produced 28 billion liters, or 33 percent of the total. Corn is the primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol, and sugarcane is the dominant source of ethanol in Brazil.
Oil Consumption Hits All-Time High
August 16, 2011 07:38 AM - Worldwatch, Worldwatch Institute
Economic Recession a Blip on Oil Consumption’s Upward Climb. World Consumed 87.4 Million Barrels Per Day in 2010. Global oil consumption reached an all-time high of 87.4 million barrels per day in 2010, according to a new Vital Signs Online report from the Worldwatch Institute. The 3.1 percent increase more than makes up for the brief decline in consumption caused by the economic crisis. "Between the recession, the BP oil spill, and instability in the Middle East and North Africa, oil markets have been on a roller coaster the last few years," said Worldwatch Sustainable Energy Fellow Saya Kitasei, who co-authored the report along with Worldwatch researcher Natalie Narotzky. "When the dust settles, however, it is clear that the momentum of future market growth has moved to the developing world, where oil consumption did not miss a beat during the recession and shows no sign of slowing."
The World at 7 Billion: Can We Stop Growing Now?
July 25, 2011 05:43 PM - Robert Engelman, Worldwatch Institute
Demographers aren't known for their sense of humor, but the ones who work for the United Nations recently announced that the world's human population will hit 7 billion on Halloween this year. Since censuses and other surveys can scarcely justify such a precise calculation, it's tempting to imagine that the UN Population Division, the data shop that pinpointed the Day of 7 Billion, is hinting that we should all be afraid, be very afraid. We have reason to be. The 21st century is not yet a dozen years old, and there are already 1 billion more people than in October 1999 — with the outlook for future energy and food supplies looking bleaker than it has for decades. It took humanity until the early 19th century to gain its first billion people; then another 1.5 billion followed over the next century and a half. In just the last 60 years the world’s population has gained yet another 4.5 billion. Never before have so many animals of one species anything like our size inhabited the planet.
Nearly Two Billion People Worldwide Now Overweight
June 16, 2011 08:23 AM - Editor, Worldwatch Institute
Washington, D.C.—More than 1.9 billion people worldwide were overweight in 2010, a 25 percent increase since 2002, a new Worldwatch analysis shows. A survey of statistics in 177 countries shows 38 percent of adults — those 15 years or older — are now overweight. The trend is strongly correlated to rising income and to an increase in preventable health problems, writes Richard H. Weil in the latest Vital Signs Online release from the Worldwatch Institute.
Nuclear Power After Fukushima
April 13, 2011 08:25 AM - Editor, Worldwatch Institute
Berlin, Germany—The future of nuclear power was bleak, even before the Fukushima disaster, said energy expert Mycle Schneider Wednesday at a press conference in Berlin, where he previewed an upcoming Worldwatch report on the outlook of nuclear power.
Better Access to Contraception Could Slow Global Warming
November 18, 2010 08:13 AM - Editor, Worldwatch Institute
Washington, D.C.-A new report from the Worldwatch Institute argues that assuring all women have access to contraception and taking steps to improve women's lives should be among key strategies in the fight against global climate change.