Worldwatch Institute Press Conference: Vital Signs 2003 Book Launch

5/12/2003

From: Susan Finkelpearl of the Worldwatch Institute, 202-452-1992 ext. 517; sfinkelpearl@worldwatch.org

News Advisory:

What: Vital Signs 2003 Book Launch

Who: Michael Renner, Worldwatch Senior Researcher and Project Director, Vital Signs 2003 Molly O'Meara Sheehan, Worldwatch Senior Researcher and Associate Project Director, Vital Signs 2003 Brennan Van Dyke, Regional Director, UNEP Regional Office for North America

When: Thursday, May 22, 2003 12:30 p.m. EDT (Lunch: 12:30-1 PM, Briefing 1-2 PM)

Where: National Press Club, Holeman Lounge 529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor

Embargo: Thursday, May 22, 2003 6 p.m. EDT

RSVP.

Contact: Susan Finkelpearl, 202-452-1992 ext. 517; sfinkelpearl@worldwatch.org

------ Poverty, Disease, Environmental Decline Threaten Global Stability

Failure to meet the needs of the world's poorest citizens threatens long-term global stability, reports Vital Signs 2003, the latest publication from the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization.

The report, produced in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), points to the 11 million children who have lost a parent due to AIDS, the 14.4 million people who die each year from infectious disease, and the 12 million international refugees in the beginning of 2002 as clear indicators of a world where human suffering is rampant. While the global economy has grown sevenfold since 1950, the disparity in per capita income between the 20 richest and 20 poorest nations more than doubled between 1980 and 1995.

"The world's failure to reduce poverty levels is now contributing to global instability in the form of terrorism, war, and contagious disease," says Vital Signs Project Director Michael Renner. "An unstable world not only perpetuates poverty, but will ultimately threaten the prosperity that the rich minority has come to enjoy."

------ About the Worldwatch Institute: The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization based in Washington, DC. Through accessible, fact-based analysis of critical global issues, Worldwatch helps to inform people around the world about the complex interactions among people, nature, and economies. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.

Vital Signs on the Web: Starting on May 22, 2003 at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT), visit http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/vs/2003/ to learn more about Vital Signs 2003 or to access a variety of on-line press resources including a spokespersons list, story ideas, facts, and a webchat series.