Vital Signs 2010: The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future

Synopsis: From rising meat and seafood production to changes in the climate, Vital Signs 2010 documents 24 trends that are shaping our future and includes concise analyses and clear graphs." "This seventeenth edition of the Worldwatch Institute series shows that climate change continues to cast a long shadow over the world's leading economic, social, and environmental trends. Some of the trends revealed inside are:" On the Cover: Taklamakan Desert Flanked to the north and south by two parts of the ancient Silk Road, the Taklamakan Desert in northwestern China is one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. The area has become a major oil and gas supplier even as local oasis communities battle advancing sands. Desertification in China and Asia is expected to worsen due to human activities like farming and to a changing climate that includes more frequent and prolonged droughts.