Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-158) and index.

Introduction : The seeds of modern threats / Michael Renner -- Emerging issues : Energy, credit, and the end of growth / Nathan John Hagens -- The trouble with growth / Peter A. Victor and Tim Jackson -- Avoiding stranded assets / Ben Caldecott -- Mounting losses of agricultural resources / Gary Gardner -- The oceans: resilience at risk / Katie Auth -- Whose Arctic is it? / Heather Exner-Pirot -- Emerging diseases from animals / Catherine C. Machalaba, Elizabeth H. Loh, Peter Daszak, and William B. Karesh -- Migration as a climate adaptation strategy / François Gemenne -- Conclusion : Childhood's end / Tom Prugh.

We think we understand environmental damage: pollution, water scarcity, a warming world. But these problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Food insecurity, financial assets drained of value, and a rapid rise in diseases of animal origin are among the underreported consequences of an unsustainable global system. In this volume, experts explore these hidden threats along with the central question of how we can develop resilience to these and other shocks.

"We think we understand environmental damage: pollution, water scarcity, a warming world. But these problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Food insecurity, financial assets drained of value by environmental damage, and a rapid rise in diseases of animal origin are among the underreported consequences of an unsustainable global system. In State of the World 2015, the flagship publication of The Worldwatch Institute, experts explore hidden threats to sustainability and how to address them. How will nations deal with migration as climate change refugees cross borders in order to escape flooding, drought, or other extreme weather events? What will happen to the price and availability of fossil energy--the foundation of industrial civilization--as these resources oscillate between surplus and scarcity? If perpetual economic growth on a finite planet is impossible, what are the alternatives? Can national governments manage the transition? Eight key issues are addressed in depth, along with the central question of how we can develop resilience to these and other shocks."--Publisher's description.