At the end of August 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development will convene in Johannesburg. The ten years since the last summit, in Rio de Janiero, have seen astonishing economic expansion in industrialized societies -- expansion that, in many respects, has only served to sharpen the contrasts between the world’s rich and poor countries. That gap, in turn, has profound implications for world health, environmental conservation, and international peace and security. To mark the summit, the 9 August 2002 issue of Science presents a collection of articles built around the theme of sustainable development, and the role of science and technology in achieving it. We’ve also assembled a selection of sustainable development readings from previous issues. Articles on Sustainability: Science, 9 August 2002 A Sustainable Development Reader -- Essays, Reviews, and Policy Forum articles from past issues

Commentary Editorial Science and Sustainability Alan I. Leshner Science 297, 897 (2002) [Full Text] The CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science comments on the challenge of bringing “the power of science to bear on the ever-widening gap between rich and poor countries.” AAAS Presidential Address Science, Sustainability, and the Human Prospect Peter H. Raven Science 297, 954 (2002) [Summary] [Full Text] In an essay adapted from his Presidential Address to the February 2002 AAAS annual meeting, Raven, the director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, explores the role of science in achieving a sustainable world. Book Review The New Economy of Nature, Gretchen C. Daily and Katherine Ellison Reviewed by David Pearce Science 297, 941 (2002) [Summary] [Full Text] In this book about “the quest to make conservation profitable,” reviewer Pearce finds a “highly readable and openly journalistic” account of efforts to press market forces into the service of the environment. Letter Conserving Native Plants in China H. Huang et al. Science 297, 935 (2002) [Full Text] The Chinese Academy of Sciences “has drafted a 15-year master plan to guide the overall program of conserving China's indigenous species”

Review, Research, and News Review Economic Reasons for Conserving Wild Nature Andrew Balmford et al. Science 297, 950 (2002) [Abstract] [Full Text] An international group of conservation and environmental scientists make the case -- based on a review of more than 300 case studies -- that the economic benefits of continued habitat conservation exceed costs by at least 100 to 1. Report Determination of Deforestation Rates of the World’s Humid Tropical Forests Frédéric Achard et al. Science 297, 999 (2002) [Abstract] [Full Text] News Satellites Spy More Forest Than Expected Jocelyn Kaiser Science 297, 919 (2002) [Summary] [Full Text] A satellite imaging study suggests that, between 1990 and 1997, 5.8 million hectares of humid tropical forest were lost annually, with a further 2.3 million hectares of forest visibly degraded. News Focus The Real Dirt on Rainforest Fertility C. Mann Science 297, 920 (2002) [Summary] [Full Text] Reviving the techniques of ancient Amazonians could help today’s rainforest farmers better manage their land. News Focus Water Scarcity: Forecasting the Future with Spotty Data K. Brown Science 297, 926 (2002) [Summary] [Full Text] In the urgent effort to forecast and plan for future world water needs, one of the most pressing scarcities is information.

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