The Worldwatch Institute, in the forward to its publication State of the World, commented that the twentieth century has been extraordinarily successful for the human species--perhaps too successful. The authors note that as Earth's population has grown from one billion to six billion and the economy has exploded to more than 20 times its size since 1900, we have overwhelmed the natural system from which we emerged and created the dangerous illusion that we no longer depend on a healthy environment. As a result, humanity now faces a challenge that rivals any in its history: restoring balance with nature while expanding economic opportunities for the billions of people whose basic needs--for food and clean water, for example--are still not being met. [Source, p. xviii]
The key issues for Chapter 9 - Development - are as follows:
- Where are more and less developed countries distributed?
- Why does development vary among countries?
- Why do less developed countries face obstacles to development?
