Signs of Hope

In April 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) issued the report "Our Common Future", which pointed out that the world could no longer afford to think of its problems in neat, sectional packages. It called for international co-operation in order to halt the human assault on natural resources. This volume refutes pessimistic claims by describing how governments, organizations, industry, youth and the media have responded to the report's recommendations on atmospheric issues, soil erosion, indigenous people, foreign aid, disarmament and the tropical rain forests. The text also acknowledges areas where there has been disappointingly little progress, and urges the international community to address such issues as housing, education, population growth, Third World debt, renewable energy sources and the promotion of non-economic analysis among multilateral development banks.