Analyzes the key indicators of 1998 that will play a large part in determining the social, economical, and environmental health of the nation in the next decade; includes charts, tables, graphs, and statistics.

First Published in 1998. In this seventh annual edition of VITAL SIGNS the team at the Worldwatch Institute bring together an eclectic selection of disparate trends to offer a unique, multifaceted view of our rapidly changing world. This vital resource and reference guide traces the scientific, social, economic and environmental trends that have and continue to shape our world. Among the trends covered for the first time in VITAL SIGNS 1998-99, are frontier forests, plantation forestry, satellite launches, minerals exploration, small arms proliferation and female education. This year's edition points out that global emissions of carbon, the leading contributor to global climate change, hit another new high, while wind power has grown an amazing 26 per cent per year, and sales of solar cells jumped a phenomenal 43 per cent in 1997. VITAL SIGNS is the most comprehensive source of environmental and social information available.

The global trends documented in Vital Sings 1999--from a decline in nuclear power generating capacity to the proliferation of genetically modified crops--will play a large part in determining the quality of our lives and our children's lives in the next decade.

This annual volume shows key trends that should be integrated into the planning of our global future. It enables readers to track key indicators that show social, economic and environmental progress, or the lack of it, into 45 vital signs of our time. Each trend is presented as an overview using both text and graphics.

Discusses trends in food and agriculture, energy, the atmosphere, the economy, transportation, health and society, the military, and the environment.

This annual volume from the Worldwatch Institute gives prominence to key trends that too often escape the attention of the news media, world leaders and economic experts. By distilling 45 vital signs of our times from thousands of government, industrial and scientific sources, the volume allows readers to track key indicators that show social, economic and environmental progress, or the lack or it. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics.

This annual volume from the Worldwatch Institute gives prominence to key trends that often escape the attention of the news media, world leaders and economic experts. The book distils 36 vital signs of our times from thousands of governmental, industrial and scientific sources, allowing readers to track key indicators that show our social, economic and environmental progress, or lack of it. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics, providing a thorough overview.