Plan B 2.0
Encyclopedia
Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble is a book, published in 2006, by environmentalist and Earth Policy Institute
founder Lester R. Brown
.
The 2008 updated edition is titled - Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, available online.
and reversing the deterioration of our planetary life support systems that could be implemented with revolutionary change to our current national and international structures and ways of doing business
. The book summarizes in 120 pages the immediate challenges that face us, including world oil production peaking just as demand from China
and India
is dramatically increasing, rapidly declining ground water tables worldwide, increasing climate chaos associated with global warming
, plus eroding topsoil
, rapidly advancing desert
s, and collapsing fisheries, on top of which population continues to increase.
In the next 140 pages Lester presents a hope-filled comprehensive plan with itemized price tags for stabilizing population
and quickly lifting a third of humanity out of desperate poverty, plus a second comprehensive plan with itemized price tags for rapidly reversing our destruction of the earth’s natural productivity. He describes a variety of existing technologies and programs that are already working amazingly well and that obviously could be rapidly scaled up. In brief, he describes how our existing extractive world economy is right now hitting hard resource limits and will likely self-destruct in the near future with extreme consequences, and he shows how practical and inexpensive it would be to convert to “an environmentally sustainable economy.”
His total price to fund the programs necessary to quickly end the worst poverty and convert to a sustainable economy is $161 billion per year. By way of comparison, consider that the gross revenues of ExxonMobil
in 2006 were $377 billion, with $39 billion in profit. Consider also that the Congressional Budget Office
estimated in April 2006 that if a gradual phase out began in 2006, the total cost of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan
would come to $811 billion. That sum would pay for five years of Plan B, which would allegedly go a long way toward eliminating the reasons to fight resource wars.
Lester Brown is considered by some people to be the world’s foremost authority on the state of the earth in relation to the demands of the human population. Starting out farming tomatoes while he went to college, he earned an agriculture degree from Rutgers
, a masters in agricultural economics
from the University of Maryland
, and a masters in public administration
from Harvard. Since his first book in 1963, he has authored or co-authored fifty books on world resources and our food supply. In 1974 he founded the Worldwatch Institute
, the first research foundation devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues. From 1984 to 2001, he published an annual State of the Earth book that summarized current data and developments regarding world resources and world population. The mission of his current research foundation, the Earth Policy Institute
, “is to provide a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy will look like, a roadmap of how to get from here to there, and an ongoing assessment of this effort.”
Earth Policy Institute
Earth Policy Institute is an environmental organization based in Washington DC in the United States. It was founded by Lester R. Brown in 2001...
founder Lester R. Brown
Lester R. Brown
Lester Russel Brown is a United States environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C...
.
The 2008 updated edition is titled - Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, available online.
Overview
Lester Brown presents an action plan for ending severe povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and reversing the deterioration of our planetary life support systems that could be implemented with revolutionary change to our current national and international structures and ways of doing business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
. The book summarizes in 120 pages the immediate challenges that face us, including world oil production peaking just as demand from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is dramatically increasing, rapidly declining ground water tables worldwide, increasing climate chaos associated with global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, plus eroding topsoil
Topsoil
Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top to . It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.-Importance:...
, rapidly advancing desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s, and collapsing fisheries, on top of which population continues to increase.
In the next 140 pages Lester presents a hope-filled comprehensive plan with itemized price tags for stabilizing population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and quickly lifting a third of humanity out of desperate poverty, plus a second comprehensive plan with itemized price tags for rapidly reversing our destruction of the earth’s natural productivity. He describes a variety of existing technologies and programs that are already working amazingly well and that obviously could be rapidly scaled up. In brief, he describes how our existing extractive world economy is right now hitting hard resource limits and will likely self-destruct in the near future with extreme consequences, and he shows how practical and inexpensive it would be to convert to “an environmentally sustainable economy.”
His total price to fund the programs necessary to quickly end the worst poverty and convert to a sustainable economy is $161 billion per year. By way of comparison, consider that the gross revenues of ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
in 2006 were $377 billion, with $39 billion in profit. Consider also that the Congressional Budget Office
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides economic data to Congress....
estimated in April 2006 that if a gradual phase out began in 2006, the total cost of the wars in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
would come to $811 billion. That sum would pay for five years of Plan B, which would allegedly go a long way toward eliminating the reasons to fight resource wars.
Lester Brown is considered by some people to be the world’s foremost authority on the state of the earth in relation to the demands of the human population. Starting out farming tomatoes while he went to college, he earned an agriculture degree from Rutgers
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, a masters in agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, and a masters in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
from Harvard. Since his first book in 1963, he has authored or co-authored fifty books on world resources and our food supply. In 1974 he founded the Worldwatch Institute
Worldwatch Institute
The Worldwatch Institute is a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan Survey of Sustainability Experts.-Mission:...
, the first research foundation devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues. From 1984 to 2001, he published an annual State of the Earth book that summarized current data and developments regarding world resources and world population. The mission of his current research foundation, the Earth Policy Institute
Earth Policy Institute
Earth Policy Institute is an environmental organization based in Washington DC in the United States. It was founded by Lester R. Brown in 2001...
, “is to provide a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy will look like, a roadmap of how to get from here to there, and an ongoing assessment of this effort.”