State of the World: A Year in Review -- 1. Beyond Sustainababble -- 2. Respecting Planetary Boundaries and Reconnecting to the Biosphere -- 3. Defining a Safe and Just Space for Humanity -- 4. Getting to One-Planet Living -- 5. Sustaining Freshwater and Its Dependents -- 6. Sustainable Fisheries and Seas: Preventing Ecological Collapse -- 7. Energy as Master Resource -- 8. Renewable Energy’s Natural Resource Impacts -- 9. Conserving Nonrenewable Resources -- 10. Re-engineering Cultures to Create a Sustainable Civilization -- 11. Building a Sustainable and Desirable Economy-in-Society-in-Nature -- 12. Transforming the Corporation into a Driver of Sustainability -- 13. Corporate Reporting and Externalities -- 14. Keep Them in the Ground: Ending the Fossil Fuel Era -- 15. Beyond Fossil Fuels: Assessing Energy Alternatives -- 16. Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment -- 17. Agriculture: Growing Food—and Solutions -- 18. Protecting the Sanctity of Native Foods -- 19. Valuing Indigenous Peoples -- 20. Crafting a New Narrative to Support Sustainability -- 21. Moving Toward a Global Moral Consensus on Environmental Action -- 22. Pathways to Sustainability: Building Political Strategies -- 23. Moving from Individual Change to Societal Change -- 24. Teaching for Turbulence -- 25. Effective Crisis Governance -- 26. Governance in the Long Emergency -- 27. Building an Enduring Environmental Movement -- 28. Resistance: Do the Ends Justify the Means? -- 29. The Promises and Perils of Geoengineering -- 30. Cuba: Lessons from a Forced Decline -- 31. Climate Change and Displacements -- 32. Cultivating Resilience in a Dangerous World -- 33. Shaping Community Responses to Catastrophe -- 34. Is It Too Late?.

Every day, we are presented with a range of “sustainable” products and activities—from “green” cleaning supplies to carbon offsets—but with so much labeled as “sustainable,” the term has become essentially sustainababble, at best indicating a practice or product slightly less damaging than the conventional alternative. Is it time to abandon the concept altogether, or can we find an accurate way to measure sustainability? If so, how can we achieve it? And if not, how can we best prepare for the coming ecological decline? In the latest edition of Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World series, scientists, policy experts, and thought leaders tackle these questions, attempting to restore meaning to sustainability as more than just a marketing tool. In State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?, experts define clear sustainability metrics and examine various policies and perspectives, including geoengineering, corporate transformation, and changes in agricultural policy, that could put us on the path to prosperity without diminishing the well-being of future generations. If these approaches fall short, the final chapters explore ways to prepare for drastic environmental change and resource depletion, such as strengthening democracy and societal resilience, protecting cultural heritage, and dealing with increased conflict and migration flows. State of the World 2013 cuts through the rhetoric surrounding sustainability, offering a broad and realistic look at how close we are to fulfilling it today and which practices and policies will steer us in the right direction. This book will be especially useful for policymakers, environmental nonprofits, and students of environmental studies, sustainability, or economics.