Eco-Economy - Building an Economy for the Earth [Paperback]

Lester Brown occupies an unique position, as former president and founder of the Worldwatch Institute and current president of the Earth Policy Institute (check out both sites online). Not only does he want to make a change, but he has access to information that is truly global in scope. There may perhaps be no other author with such an intimate understanding of the trends that now face humanity at the dawn of this new century.

The first quarter of the book provides a bird's-eye view of our planet, a planet in decline. Whatever undefined notions you might have had about what writer Thomas Berry has termed 'ecocide' will suddenly be very clear. Afer a litany of statistics that are absolutely mind-boggling, Brown's statement, "we are losing the war to save the planet," no longer smacks of hyperbole. However, this is no pessimist's rant.

The next third of the book outlines a stunning vision of Brown's eco-economy. Don't mistake, this is not eco-utopia - but damn close! Cars that produce water as waste. Sustainable fisheries and forest that don't collapse. An economy based on wind and solar-power. His vision of a sustainable tomorrow is nothing less than the measure of today. I hesitate to think of what will happen if we continue with business as usual, that is, if we continue with our fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy.

The last third of the book outlines the practical steps we must make in order to bring about this eco-era. These include: a tax shift that hits messy industries, the end of government subsidized deforestation, quality ecolabeling (voting with our wallets), and tradable permits that set well-defined limits on, say, units of fish caught per year. Brown, like so many oher eco-economists, also emphasizes the need to work within the limits of our natural capital (nature's productive and absorbtion capacity).

Every section of this book is cogently argued, factual and compelling, and his ideas for change are stunning. From the role of NGOs and the United Nations to individual initiatives, like green power options, this book is very down to earth and pragmatic about change. Unlike most studies in ecology, economics, or politics, Brown doesn't limit himself to one aspect of the discussion. You get the facts, a comprehensive vision, and the concrete steps required to bring that vision into reality.

This is a must read for anybody interested in environmentalism, economics, futurism, or governmental policy in general. The Washington Post nailed it on the head when they described Brown as "One of the world's most influential thinkers." Read this book, and see the world through this remarkable man's eyes.

Essential reading.

j.w.k.

Veteran environmentalist Lester Brown has divided his book into three sections.

In the first, he describes the current degraded state of the planet. The author reveals many alarming facts about climate change, falling water tables, and the stressed biological base. The author builds a solid case that the earth will not be able to support the current throw-away lifestyle indefinitely, and that attempts to extend this short-term mentality to the third world are pointless.

The second section discusses the "new economy". Here, Brown contrasts green technologies with the status quo, including: wind, solar and hydrogen power vs. fossil fuels; recycling vs. mining; sustainable forestry vs. clear cutting; raising water productivity vs. depleting aquifers; mass transit vs. automobiles; and more. In each instance, the author makes a compelling case why it makes economic as well as environmental sense for society to switch to environmental-friendly solutions.

In the last section, Brown shows us how to get "from here to there". While he acknowledges that entrenched economic interests will fight to avoid change, the author writes confidently because he knows that change MUST occur. Brown points out that if humanity does not have the foresight to choose the sustainable path today, the environmental catastrophes we are creating for ourselves will eventually force us to change tomorrow.

He goes on to write about common-sense public and private sector policies that could be used to help effect the transition to an "eco-economy" in a fair and reasonable manner. The author is optimistic in that he believes environmental collapse is not inevitable. He cites evidence that new practices are in fact being implemented in many places, albeit in a piecemeal and inadequate fashion. What's missing is the large-scale, coordinated effort needed to reverse the current situation, which will require consensus among leaders in industry and government.

Brown's message is sane, articulate and persuasive. Let's hope that the message in this excellent book is heeded sooner rather than later.

Lester Brown, Chairman of the Worldwatch Institute, which is known for the high quality of its reports, presents his vision of an environmentally sustainable economy - an eco-economy. The purpose of his book is to show that we have no alternative to restructuring the economy if we want economic progress, to describe with some degree of confidence what the eco-economy will look like and to outline a strategy of how to get there in the time available.

After cataloguing the grim decline in the planet's ability to carry on with business as usual, and pointing out that mismanagement is destroying forests, rangelands, fisheries and croplands, - the four eco-systems that supply our food and, except for minerals, all our raw materials - Eco-Economy provides hope that the solutions are within our reach, affordable and can lead to new employment opportunities and a higher standard of living.

An economy is sustainable only if it respects the principles of ecology; if it does not, it will decline and eventually collapse; there is no middle ground. Relying on distorted market signals to guide investment decisions is a recipe for disaster. We need a change in mind set similar to that when our ancestors accepted that the earth revolves around the sun.

Twenty five years ago the concept of environmentally sustainable development - restoring carbon balances, stabilizing population and water tables, conserving forests, soils and plant/animal diversity - was introduced but not one country is progressing satisfactorily on all fronts. Nonetheless glimpses of the eco-economy are visible. Many countries have stabilized their population - the first requirement for a sustainable future, - banned construction of coal-fired power plants or nonrefillable beverage containers, reforested, and encouraged use of bicycles. These are all facets of building a sustainable economy in marked contrast to the fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy of today.

Perhaps the most profound change will occur in the energy field where wind-generated energy at a cost as low as four cents per watt is likely to be a major source of energy for the foreseeable future. By electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen during slack times we have the means of storing wind energy and, in due course, of transporting it through defunct oil and gas pipe lines. Use of natural gas will keep expanding for the present as it is an ideal fuel for the transition from a carbon-based economy to one based on hydrogen. Together, electricity and hydrogen can meet all the needs of a modern society. Other renewable sources of energy will play a lesser role. During the 1990s photovoltaic sales increased by an average of 20% per year, climbing by 43% in 2000, while the capacity of geothermal increased by 4% and hydro by 2%. Energy conservation and efficiency is still the best investment we can make with such items as compact fluorescent lamps having a very rapid pay back. The United States could meet the Kyoto protocol by 2010 simply by moving to Europe's energy efficiency levels, which in turn are not yet taking full advantage of the state of the art technologies.

The second major change will occur in materials handling. Failure to adopt a comprehensive recycling program has resulted in removing New York City's 12,000 ton daily output of garbage in a fleet of vehicles 15 km long, on the 900 km round trip. A simple measure like recycling paper would shorten the convoy by 4.5kms. Metals are a major problem as their mining and processing are environmentally destructive and energy intensive. Redesigning the materials economy to be compatible with the eco-system includes such measures as easy disassembly for recycling, reducing waste generation, banning throw away beverage containers, improved methods of manufacturing, clustering factories so that waste from one acts as an input to another, legislation requiring a minimum percentage of recycled material and setting a zero emissions goal. Most worrying of all is China's rapid rise in standard of living and the world's inability to support a western standard of living with a western way of doing business. As an example if annual paper use in China were to rise to US levels, it would need more paper than the world currently produces. Mr. Brown describes ways to do the same job using far less raw material.

In similar fashion the book deals with agriculture and food, forest products, cities, population stabilization, and leadership.

This book has helped me in two ways. First, I lacked a grand and convincing vision of what a sustainable society might look like and the second was that in a period of such rapid change I feared that an investment today might turn out to be a white elephant tomorrow. I believe that the future painted by Lester Brown is not only possible but is almost bound to happen if each of us do our part, as much is already being put in place. I can adopt his vision as my vision feeling much more confident in my actions and that I can leave a better world to my children and grandchildren.

In Bangkok one evening at 9pm all television stations focused on a huge electricity meter while the announcer asked everyone to switch off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances. Everyone was amazed to see the meter wind down enough to switch out two power stations. We have to remember that building a sustainable economy requires both major structural changes in addition to billions of small actions world wide.