9780393051094

In 1543, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the view that the Sun revolved around the Earth, arguing instead that the Earth revolved around the Sun. His paper led to a revolution in thinking -- to a new worldview.

Lester R. Brown has been described as "one of the world's most influential thinkers" by the Washington Post. He is president of Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit, interdisciplinary research organization based in Washington, D.C. Brown is widely known as the founder and former president of the Worldwatch Institute, whose board he now chairs. He launched the influential State of the World reports that are now published in over 30 languages. Twenty-five years ago, he helped pioneer the concept of environmentally sustainable development, a concept he uses in his design of an eco-economy. During a career that started with tomato farming, Brown has been honored with numerous prizes, including the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, the United Nations Environment Prize, and Japan's Blue Planet Prize. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Acknowledgments

vii

Foreword

xv

The Economy and the Earth

3

(24)

Economy Self-Destructing

7

(7)

Lessons from the Past

14

(3)

Learning from China

17

(2)

The Acceleration of History

19

(2)

The Option: Restructure or Decline

21

(6)

I. A STRESSED RELATIONSHIP

Signs of Stress: Climate and Water

27

(22)

Temperature Rising

28

(2)

The Ice Is Melting

30

(4)

Sea Level Rising

34

(3)

More Destructive Storms

37

(2)

Rivers Drained Dry

39

(4)

Falling Water Tables

43

(3)

Facing Water Scarcity

46

(3)

Signs of Stress: The Biological Base

49

(28)

Fisheries Collapsing

51

(4)

Forests Shrinking

55

(3)

Rangelands Deteriorating

58

(4)

Soils Eroding

62

(6)

Species Disappearing

68

(4)

Synergies and Surprises

72

(5)

II. THE NEW ECONOMY

The Shape of the Eco-Economy

77

(20)

Ecology Over Economics

78

(3)

A Monumental Undertaking

81

(2)

Restructuring the Economy

83

(2)

New Industries, New Jobs

85

(7)

History's Greatest Investment Opportunity

92

(5)

Building the Solar/Hydrogen Economy

97

(24)

The Energy Efficiency Base

99

(3)

Harnessing the Wind

102

(5)

Turning Sunlight into Electricity

107

(3)

Tapping the Earth's Heat

110

(2)

Natural Gas: The Transition Fuel

112

(2)

Getting to the Hydrogen Economy

114

(7)

Designing a New Materials Economy

121

(24)

Throwaway Products

123

(3)

Materials and the Environment

126

(5)

The Earth's Toxic Burden

131

(4)

The Role of Recycling

135

(3)

Redesigning the Materials Economy

138

(7)

Feeding Everyone Well

145

(24)

A Status Report

147

(3)

Raising Cropland Productivity

150

(4)

Raising Water Productivity

154

(4)

Restructuring the Protein Economy

158

(5)

Eradicating Hunger: A Broad Strategy

163

(6)

Protecting Forest Products and Services

169

(18)

Fuel, Lumber, and Paper

170

(2)

Forest Services

172

(4)

Sustainable Forestry

176

(2)

Lightening the Load

178

(3)

The Role of Plantations

181

(2)

Reclaiming the Earth

183

(4)

Redesigning Cities for People

187

(24)

An Urbanizing Species

188

(3)

Car-Centered Urban Sprawl

191

(4)

Urbanization and Obesity

195

(4)

Urban Rail and Bicycle Systems

199

(3)

Planning Cities for People

202

(9)

III. GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE

Stabilizing Population by Reducing Fertility

211

(22)

Breaking Out or Breaking Down

213

(4)

Africa Breaking Down

217

(3)

Filling the Family Planning Gap

220

(5)

The Role of Female Education

225

(2)

Using Soap Operas and Sitcoms

227

(1)

Stopping at Two

228

(5)

Tools for Restructuring the Economy

233

(20)

The Fiscal Steering Wheel

234

(2)

Tax Shifting

236

(4)

Subsidy Shifting

240

(4)

Ecolabeling: Voting with Our Wallets

244

(4)

Tradable Permits

248

(1)

Support for Fiscal Restructuring

249

(4)

Accelerating the Transition

253

(24)

United Nations Leadership

255

(2)

New Responsibility of Governments

257

(2)

New Role for the Media

259

(2)

The Corporate Interest

261

(4)

NGOs and Individuals

265

(4)

Crossing the Threshold

269

(5)

Is There Enough Time?

274

(3)

Notes

277

(46)

Index

323

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Eco-Economy : Building a New Economy for the Environmental Age

Eco-Economy : Building a New Economy for the Environmental Age

0393051099

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