Plan B 4.0 Pa

by Brown,Lester R.

• ISBN13: 9780393337198
• ISBN10: 0393337197
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-05
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

"[Brown's] ability to make a complicated subject accessible to the general reader is remarkable." -- Katherine Salant, Washington Post"Lester Brown is one of the pioneers and heroes of global environmentalism. If the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize had been extended to a third recipient, the logical candidate would have been Lester Brown." -- E. O. WilsonAs fossil fuel prices rise, oil insecurity deepens, and concerns about climate change cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new energy economy is emerging. Wind, solar, and geothermal energy are replacing oil, coal, and natural gas, at a pace and on a scale we could not have imagined even a year ago. For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, we have begun investing in energy sources that can last forever. Plan B 4.0 explores both the nature of this transition to a new energy economy and how it will affect our daily lives.

Author Biography

Lester R. Brown is the president of Earth Policy Institute, a research organization based in Washington, DC. Brown has been honored with numerous prizes, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the United Nations Environment Prize, and Japan's Blue Planet Prize.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Selling Our Future	p. 3
Food: The 'Weak Link	p. 4
The Emerging Politics of Food Scarcity	p. 9
Our Global Ponzi Economy	p. 14
Mounting Stresses, failing States	p. 18
Plan B-A Plan to Save Civilization	p. 23
The Challenges
Population Pressure: Land and Water	p. 31
Civilization's Foundation Eroding	p. 32
Water Tables Palling	p. 38
Farmers Losing Water to Cities	p. 41
Land and Water Conflicts	p. 44
Cars and People Compete for Grain	p. 48
The Rising Tide of Environmental Refugees	p. 51
Climate Change and the Energy Transition	p. 55
Rising Temperature and Its Effects	p. 56
Melting Ice, Rising Seas	p. 61
Melting Glaciers, Shrinking Harvests	p. 66
Rising Temperatures, Falling Yields	p. 69
The Decline of Oil and Coal	p. 71
A Challenge Without Precedent	p. 75
The Response
Stabilizing Climate: An Energy Efficiency Revolution	p. 79
A Revolution in Lighting Technology	p. 81
Energy-Efficient Appliances	p. 84
Zero-Carbon Buildings	p. 87
Electrifying the Trans-port System	p. 91
A New Materials Economy	p. 96
Smarter Grids, Appliances, and Consumers	p. 103
The Energy Savings Potential	p. 106
Stabilizing Climate: Shifting to Renewable Energy	p. 109
Turning to the Wind	p. 113
Solar Cells and Thermal Collectors	p. 117
Energy from the Earth	p. 125
Plant-Based Sources of Energy	p. 128
Hydropower: Rivers, Tides, and Waves	p. 132
The World Energy Economy of 2020	p. 135
Designing Cities for People	p. 143
The Ecology of Cities	p. 145
Redesigning Urban Transport	p. 147
The Return of Bicycles	p. 151
Reducing Urban Water Use	p. 154
Farming in the City	p. 158
Upgrading Squatter Settlements	p. 160
Cities for People	p. 162
Eradicating Poverty and Stabilizing Population	p. 168
Educating Everyone	p. 171
Toward a Healthy Future	p. 174
Stabilizing Population	p. 181
Rescuing Failing States	p. 185
A Poverty Eradication Agenda and Budget	p. 188
Restoring the Earth	p. 192
Protecting and Restoring Forests	p. 193
Planting Trees to Sequester Carbon	p. 198
Conserving and Rebuilding Soils	p. 202
Regenerating Fisheries	p. 206
Protecting Plant and Animal Diversity	p. 209
The Earth Restoration Budget	p. 211
Feeding Eight Billion People Well	p. 216
Raising Land Productivity	p. 217
Raising Water Productivity	p. 222
Producing Protein More Efficiently	p. 226
The Localization of Agriculture	p. 230
Strategic Reductions in Demand	p. 233
Action on Many Fronts	p. 236
The Great Mobilization
Can We Mobilize Fast Enough?	p. 241
Shifting Taxes and Subsidies	p. 244
Coal: The Beginning of the End	p. 249
Stabilizing Climate	p. 253
Three Models of Social Change	p. 256
A Wartime Mobilization	p. 259
Mobilizing to Save Civilization	p. 261
What You and I Can Do	p. 266
Notes	p. 269
Index	p. 341
Acknowledgments	p. 363
About the Author	p. 369
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