Lester R. Brown
Encyclopedia
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.
BBC Radio commentator Peter Day calls him "one of the great pioneer environmentalist
s."
Brown is the author or co-author of over 50 books on global environmental issues and his works have been translated into more than forty languages. His most recent book is World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse (2011). Brown emphasizes the geopolitical effects of fast-rising grain prices, noting that "the biggest threat to global stability is the potential for food crises in poor countries," and one that could "bring down civilization." In Foreign Policy
magazine, he describes how the "new geopolitics of food" has, in 2011, already begun to contribute to revolutions and upheaval in various countries.
The recipient of 26 honorary degree
s and a MacArthur Fellowship, Brown has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the world's most influential thinkers." As early as 1978, in his book The Twenty-Ninth Day, he was already warning of "the various dangers arising out of our manhandling of nature...by overfishing the oceans, stripping the forests, turning land into desert." In 1986, the Library of Congress
requested his personal papers noting that his writings “have already strongly affected thinking about problems of world population and resources,” while president Bill Clinton
has suggested that "we should all heed his advice."
In the mid-1970s, Brown helped pioneer the concept of sustainable development
, during a career that started with farming. Since then, he has been the recipient of many prizes and awards, including, the 1987 United Nations
Environment Prize, the 1989 World Wide Fund for Nature
Gold Medal, and the 1994 Blue Planet Prize for his "contributions to solving global environmental problems." In 1995, Marquis Who's Who
selected Brown as one of its "50 Great Americans." He was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Italy
and was appointed an honorary professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences
. He lives in Washington, D.C.
, New Jersey
near the Delaware River
. He learned to read early and was a voracious reader. He was fascinated by World War II and would borrow day-old papers from the next door farm to follow it. He especially enjoyed reading biographies including those of America’s founding fathers and others such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Marie Curie. From his earliest years, he worked on the farm, milking cows, pulling weeds, and cleaning the stable. An enterprising youth, he involved his younger brother, Carl, in various businesses, such as growing pheasants and chickens for sale. In 1951, they started a tomato growing business, which eventually grew to become one of New Jersey's largest, with sales of over 1.52 million pound
s a year. He later said, "farming is all I ever wanted to do with all my life. You have to know soils, weather, plant pathology, entomology
, management, even politics. It's the ideal interdisciplinary profession."
from Rutgers University
in 1955, through the International Farm Youth Exchange Program, he spent six months living in rural India
where he became intimately familiar with food and population issues. "His experiences in Indian villages changed his life," wrote biographer David De Leon. "Although he went back to growing tomatoes when he returned to the United States, this no longer seemed like exciting work." ."
Brown decided that to work on the global food issue, he would need to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS). . He learned that before they would hire him, he needed to have a degree in agricultural economics. Brown took nine months to earn a masters degree in agricultural economics from the niversity of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland] and in 1959 joined FAS as an international agricultural analyst in the Asia branch.[9] A year or so later, he took a nine-month leave to earn a public administration
from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
.
In 1963, just four years later, he published Man, Land and Food, the first comprehensive projection of world food, population, and land resources to the end of the century. The study was a cover story in January 6, 1963 issue of U.S. News and World Report where it came to the attention of Secretary of Agriculture
, Orville Freeman
. Freeman appreciated Brown’s bold analysis and offered him a job on his staff, saying "you sketched the problems. Now you have to do something about them." He was soon elevated to being the resident specialist on global issues. In this capacity, he advised the secretary of agriculture on his overseas agricultural policies. He also headed USDA's International Agricultural Development Service from 1966 to 1969. His primary job was to "increase food production in underdeveloped countries."
In early 1969, he left government to help establish the Overseas Development Council. He also became an enthusiastic believer in the promise of a Green Revolution
, with the hope of using better seeds and cultivation methods to help solve global problems of poverty and hunger. In his opinion, "this technology was the most crucial historical event since the steam engine." In subsequent years, however, he realized that rapid population growth in undeveloped countries was overwhelming the gains in increased food production.
, Brown founded the Worldwatch Institute
, the first research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues. While there he launched the Worldwatch Papers, the annual State of the World reports, World Watch magazine, a second annual entitled Vital Signs: The Trends That are Shaping Our Future, and the Environmental Alert book series. According to De Leon, "he gathered a staff of young idealists just out of college. They were expected to be 'professional generalists,' rather than narrow specialists with advanced degrees."
The institute eventually became noted for being an independent and respected think tank
focusing on environmental issues and also a storehouse for a large amount of environmental information. Their goal is to educate the public and government about environmental problems and to recommend actions. The institute has refused to become a lobbying organization, with Brown saying, "the world is filled with specialists who dig deep burrows into the earth and bring up these nuggets of insight, but there's no one up on top pulling it all together. That's our job." As a result, he has been described as "one of the world's most influential thinkers" and was granted a $250,000 "genius award" by the MacArthur Foundation
in 1986.
In 2001, he left Worldwatch Institute to establish the Earth Policy Institute
, devoted to providing a plan to save civilization. At the Institute, his years of working on global issues through an interdisciplinary lens has enabled him to identify trends those working in specialized areas might not see. They have also allowed him to consider global solutions to the many environmental concerns of today. Some of the more important works Brown has written at the Institute include World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse (2011), Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth (2001), and the Plan B series.
"Lester Brown is one of the most important voices in the world, regarding the creation of a new conscience of humanity toward a sustainable society." -Jose Jaime Maussan
"Keep up the good work! Some of us are getting in the habit of relying on you all for valuable information and solid analysis." –Eric Britton, The New Mobility Agenda
"…a small think tank with a knack of spotting new trends…" –Geoffrey Lean, Telegraph http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/author/geoffreylean/
in 2008, the college newspaper referred to him as an "environmental Paul Revere
," [as] he warned his audience that "unless civilization changes its ways, its end is truly near... we're in a race between natural tipping point
s and political tipping points, - 'what we need most of all is for the market to tell the environmental truth.' " He added, "We don't need to go beyond our ice melts
to know that we're in trouble. How much are we willing to spend to avoid a 23 foot rise in sea level
?" He explained that "indirect costs are shaping our future," and by ignoring these, "we're doing exactly the same thing as Enron
- leaving costs off the books. Consuming today with no concern for tomorrow is not a winning philosophy." He spoke of rapid population growth, deforestation, and "two new stresses – rising food and oil prices." "As oil prices go up, grain prices will follow," he said.
He notes that "historically, it is rare for so many emerging threats to have a common solution."
’s food prospect, spawning hundreds of conferences and seminars. Over the years his books have influenced the thinking and actions of many world leaders.
For example, when asked by Wired
magazine about CNN
founder Ted Turner
's involvement with his ideas, he replied, "Ted is one of the world's most committed environmentalists. After he read the original Plan B in 2003, he called and said he wanted to distribute it to the world's key decision makers -- heads of state, cabinet members, Fortune 500
CEOs. He distributed ... 3,569 copies ... with a note saying 'I read this. It's important stuff. You need to read it too.' "
In May 2001, he founded the Earth Policy Institute
to provide a vision and a road map for achieving an environmentally sustainable economy. In November 2001, he published Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, which was hailed by E.O. Wilson as “an instant classic.” In 2009 he published Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization and his most recent book is World on the Edge (2011).
; growing cities are erasing cropland for industrialization; food production is stagnating; yet China's population increases "the equivalent of a new Beijing
each year."
He describes China's growth and its effect on the world economy
: "China's rising food prices will become the world's rising food prices. China's land scarcity will become everyone's land scarcity. And water scarcity will affect the entire world. China's dependence on massive imports, like the collapse of the world's fisheries, will be a wake-up call that we are colliding with the earth's capacity to feed us." One of his conclusions is that the new age of food scarcity "could well lead us to redefine national security
away from military preparedness and toward maintaining adequate food supplies."
In the book's foreword, he writes, "Although I was aware that the Chinese were sensitive to the notion that they might need to import large amounts of grain, I had not realized just how sensitive the issue is. All the leaders of China today are survivors of the massive famine
that occurred in 1959-1961 in the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward
-- a famine that claimed a staggering 30 million lives. If this many died, then as many as a couple hundred million more people could have been on the edge of starvation."
His conclusion is that our "ability to provide enough food is at stake, and depends not only on efforts within agriculture but also having an energy policy
that stabilizes climate, a worldwide effort to raise water productivity, the evolution of land-efficient transport systems, and population policies..."
At California State University, Chico
, Plan B has become "required reading for all incoming freshmen." The university says that it is being used in many courses in History, English, Philosophy, Communications, Political and Social Science.
.
Honorable mention
Memberships
Literary Awards
Online books by Lester R. Brown:
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:...
, and founder and president of 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...
, a nonprofit
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
research organization based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
BBC Radio commentator Peter Day calls him "one of the great pioneer environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s."
Brown is the author or co-author of over 50 books on global environmental issues and his works have been translated into more than forty languages. His most recent book is World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse (2011). Brown emphasizes the geopolitical effects of fast-rising grain prices, noting that "the biggest threat to global stability is the potential for food crises in poor countries," and one that could "bring down civilization." In Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
magazine, he describes how the "new geopolitics of food" has, in 2011, already begun to contribute to revolutions and upheaval in various countries.
The recipient of 26 honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s and a MacArthur Fellowship, Brown has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the world's most influential thinkers." As early as 1978, in his book The Twenty-Ninth Day, he was already warning of "the various dangers arising out of our manhandling of nature...by overfishing the oceans, stripping the forests, turning land into desert." In 1986, the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
requested his personal papers noting that his writings “have already strongly affected thinking about problems of world population and resources,” while president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
has suggested that "we should all heed his advice."
In the mid-1970s, Brown helped pioneer the concept of sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
, during a career that started with farming. Since then, he has been the recipient of many prizes and awards, including, the 1987 United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Environment Prize, the 1989 World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Gold Medal, and the 1994 Blue Planet Prize for his "contributions to solving global environmental problems." In 1995, Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
selected Brown as one of its "50 Great Americans." He was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and was appointed an honorary professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Early life
Brown was born and raised on a farm without running water or electricity in BridgetonBridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
near the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
. He learned to read early and was a voracious reader. He was fascinated by World War II and would borrow day-old papers from the next door farm to follow it. He especially enjoyed reading biographies including those of America’s founding fathers and others such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Marie Curie. From his earliest years, he worked on the farm, milking cows, pulling weeds, and cleaning the stable. An enterprising youth, he involved his younger brother, Carl, in various businesses, such as growing pheasants and chickens for sale. In 1951, they started a tomato growing business, which eventually grew to become one of New Jersey's largest, with sales of over 1.52 million pound
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
s a year. He later said, "farming is all I ever wanted to do with all my life. You have to know soils, weather, plant pathology, entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, management, even politics. It's the ideal interdisciplinary profession."
Education
Shortly after earning a degree in agricultural scienceAgricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
from Rutgers University
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...
in 1955, through the International Farm Youth Exchange Program, he spent six months living in rural 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...
where he became intimately familiar with food and population issues. "His experiences in Indian villages changed his life," wrote biographer David De Leon. "Although he went back to growing tomatoes when he returned to the United States, this no longer seemed like exciting work." ."
Brown decided that to work on the global food issue, he would need to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service
Foreign Agricultural Service
The Foreign Agricultural Service is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture's overseas programs—market development, international trade agreements and negotiations, and the collection of statistics and market information...
(FAS). . He learned that before they would hire him, he needed to have a degree in agricultural economics. Brown took nine months to earn a masters degree in agricultural economics from the niversity of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland] and in 1959 joined FAS as an international agricultural analyst in the Asia branch.[9] A year or so later, he took a nine-month leave to earn a public administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
.
In 1963, just four years later, he published Man, Land and Food, the first comprehensive projection of world food, population, and land resources to the end of the century. The study was a cover story in January 6, 1963 issue of U.S. News and World Report where it came to the attention of Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
, Orville Freeman
Orville Freeman
Orville Lothrop Freeman was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
. Freeman appreciated Brown’s bold analysis and offered him a job on his staff, saying "you sketched the problems. Now you have to do something about them." He was soon elevated to being the resident specialist on global issues. In this capacity, he advised the secretary of agriculture on his overseas agricultural policies. He also headed USDA's International Agricultural Development Service from 1966 to 1969. His primary job was to "increase food production in underdeveloped countries."
In early 1969, he left government to help establish the Overseas Development Council. He also became an enthusiastic believer in the promise of a Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
, with the hope of using better seeds and cultivation methods to help solve global problems of poverty and hunger. In his opinion, "this technology was the most crucial historical event since the steam engine." In subsequent years, however, he realized that rapid population growth in undeveloped countries was overwhelming the gains in increased food production.
Career as environmental activist
In 1974, with support of a $500,000 grant from the Rockefeller Brothers FundRockefeller Brothers Fund
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund , , is an international philanthropic organisation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was set up in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle of the five famous Rockefeller brothers: John D...
, Brown 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 institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues. While there he launched the Worldwatch Papers, the annual State of the World reports, World Watch magazine, a second annual entitled Vital Signs: The Trends That are Shaping Our Future, and the Environmental Alert book series. According to De Leon, "he gathered a staff of young idealists just out of college. They were expected to be 'professional generalists,' rather than narrow specialists with advanced degrees."
The institute eventually became noted for being an independent and respected think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
focusing on environmental issues and also a storehouse for a large amount of environmental information. Their goal is to educate the public and government about environmental problems and to recommend actions. The institute has refused to become a lobbying organization, with Brown saying, "the world is filled with specialists who dig deep burrows into the earth and bring up these nuggets of insight, but there's no one up on top pulling it all together. That's our job." As a result, he has been described as "one of the world's most influential thinkers" and was granted a $250,000 "genius award" by the MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
in 1986.
In 2001, he left Worldwatch Institute to establish 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...
, devoted to providing a plan to save civilization. At the Institute, his years of working on global issues through an interdisciplinary lens has enabled him to identify trends those working in specialized areas might not see. They have also allowed him to consider global solutions to the many environmental concerns of today. Some of the more important works Brown has written at the Institute include World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse (2011), Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth (2001), and the Plan B series.
"Lester Brown is one of the most important voices in the world, regarding the creation of a new conscience of humanity toward a sustainable society." -Jose Jaime Maussan
"Keep up the good work! Some of us are getting in the habit of relying on you all for valuable information and solid analysis." –Eric Britton, The New Mobility Agenda
"…a small think tank with a knack of spotting new trends…" –Geoffrey Lean, Telegraph http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/author/geoffreylean/
Primary concerns
The following have been consistent themes in Brown's work over the years:- Population controlPopulation controlHuman population control is the practice of artificially altering the rate of growth of a human population.Historically, human population control has been implemented by limiting the population's birth rate, usually by government mandate, and has been undertaken as a response to factors including...
- Immigration reductionImmigration reductionImmigration reduction refers to a movement in the United States that advocates a reduction in the amount of immigration allowed into the country. Steps advocated for reducing the numbers of immigrants include advocating stronger action to prevent illegal entry and illegal immigration, and...
(to achieve U.S. population stabilization) - Global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal 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...
- Protection of world's croplands
- Soil erosion
- DeforestationDeforestationDeforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
- Water resourcesWater resourcesWater resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water....
depletion - Melting glaciers
- Decreasing groundwatersAquiferAn aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
- Energy depletion
- Peak oilPeak oilPeak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
- Energy conservationEnergy conservationEnergy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
and sustainability - Renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
- Garbage reduction and recyclingRecyclingRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
.
Issuing warnings
After a talk at Catawba CollegeCatawba College
Catawba College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury...
in 2008, the college newspaper referred to him as an "environmental Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
," [as] he warned his audience that "unless civilization changes its ways, its end is truly near... we're in a race between natural tipping point
Tipping point (climatology)
A climate tipping point is a point when global climate changes from one stable state to another stable state, in a similar manner to a wine glass tipping over. After the tipping point has been passed, a transition to a new state occurs...
s and political tipping points, - 'what we need most of all is for the market to tell the environmental truth.' " He added, "We don't need to go beyond our ice melts
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
to know that we're in trouble. How much are we willing to spend to avoid a 23 foot rise in sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
?" He explained that "indirect costs are shaping our future," and by ignoring these, "we're doing exactly the same thing as Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
- leaving costs off the books. Consuming today with no concern for tomorrow is not a winning philosophy." He spoke of rapid population growth, deforestation, and "two new stresses – rising food and oil prices." "As oil prices go up, grain prices will follow," he said.
Offering solutions
In December 2008, Brown presented ways of creating new jobs by public investment in both the renewable energy industry and in energy efficiency technology. He gave growth statistics along with the calculated number of jobs that would be created:- The renewable energy industry - wind, solar, geothermal - are expanding by over 30 percent yearly;
- There are now, in the U.S., 24,000 megawatts of wind generating capacity online, but there is "a staggering 225,000 megawatts of "planned wind farms";
- Every billion dollars invested in wind farms creates 3,350 jobs - nearly four times the number created from coal plants;
- A billion dollars invested in solar creates 1,480 jobs;
- What is needed is a World War II-type mobilization to produce electric-powered cars that will operate at an equivalent gas cost of $1 per gallon (Replacing each SUV with a plug-in hybrid could save $20,000 of oil imports over its lifetime);
- "The U.S. goal for Detroit should be not merely to save it but make it the world leader...";
- A $500 billion dollar investment in clean and renewable energy systems would create 3 million new jobs that would last through 2020;
He notes that "historically, it is rare for so many emerging threats to have a common solution."
Books (selection)
Brown has authored or co-authored over 50 books. One of the world's most widely published authors, his books have appeared in some 40 languages. Among his earlier books are Man, Land and Food, World Without Borders, and Building a Sustainable Society. His 1995 book Who Will Feed China? challenged the official view of ChinaChina
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...
’s food prospect, spawning hundreds of conferences and seminars. Over the years his books have influenced the thinking and actions of many world leaders.
For example, when asked by Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine about CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
founder Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
's involvement with his ideas, he replied, "Ted is one of the world's most committed environmentalists. After he read the original Plan B in 2003, he called and said he wanted to distribute it to the world's key decision makers -- heads of state, cabinet members, Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
CEOs. He distributed ... 3,569 copies ... with a note saying 'I read this. It's important stuff. You need to read it too.' "
In May 2001, he founded 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...
to provide a vision and a road map for achieving an environmentally sustainable economy. In November 2001, he published Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, which was hailed by E.O. Wilson as “an instant classic.” In 2009 he published Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization and his most recent book is World on the Edge (2011).
Who Will Feed China?
In this book published in 1995, Brown highlights the pressure on world resources as more countries, especially China, become developed. He writes, "To feed its 1.2 billion people, China may soon have to import so much grain that this action could trigger unprecedented rises in world food prices." He explains some of the dilemmas they face: water is becoming scarce; 80 percent of their grain crop requires irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
; growing cities are erasing cropland for industrialization; food production is stagnating; yet China's population increases "the equivalent of a new Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
each year."
He describes China's growth and its effect on the world economy
World economy
The world economy, or global economy, generally refers to the economy, which is based on economies of all of the world's countries, national economies. Also global economy can be seen as the economy of global society and national economies – as economies of local societies, making the global one....
: "China's rising food prices will become the world's rising food prices. China's land scarcity will become everyone's land scarcity. And water scarcity will affect the entire world. China's dependence on massive imports, like the collapse of the world's fisheries, will be a wake-up call that we are colliding with the earth's capacity to feed us." One of his conclusions is that the new age of food scarcity "could well lead us to redefine national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
away from military preparedness and toward maintaining adequate food supplies."
In the book's foreword, he writes, "Although I was aware that the Chinese were sensitive to the notion that they might need to import large amounts of grain, I had not realized just how sensitive the issue is. All the leaders of China today are survivors of the massive famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
that occurred in 1959-1961 in the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
-- a famine that claimed a staggering 30 million lives. If this many died, then as many as a couple hundred million more people could have been on the edge of starvation."
Outgrowing the Earth
This book, published in 2004, is a more current description of "the ways in which human demands are outstripping the earth's natural capacities, and how the resulting environmental damage is undermining food production on a global scale." He documents a number of vital changes that are affecting civilization today:- Crop production is suffering "due to global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal 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...
." Brown describes how just a few degrees of increased average temperature will lead to a 10 percent decline in grain yields. - Water scarcity and shortages, such as from "aquiferAquiferAn aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
depletion" may be as important as oil depletionOil depletionOil depletion occurs in the second half of the production curve of an oil well, oil field, or the average of total world oil production. The Hubbert peak theory makes predictions of production rates based on prior discovery rates and anticipated production rates. Hubbert curves predict that the...
. He states, "There are substitutes for oil, but none for water." - Decreasing cropland in key countries like China creates serious dilemmas, "as densely populated countries extend their reliance on automobiles, they pave scarce cropland for roads, highways, and parking lots."
- Population growthPopulation growthPopulation growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
, while slowing in many countries, is still increasing world population by 76 million each year. Again, he presents another dilemma: "In a world where the historical rise in land productivity has slowed by half since 1990, grainCerealCereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
production is falling behind population."
His conclusion is that our "ability to provide enough food is at stake, and depends not only on efforts within agriculture but also having an energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
that stabilizes climate, a worldwide effort to raise water productivity, the evolution of land-efficient transport systems, and population policies..."
Plan B 4.0
Plan B 4.0 - Mobilizing to Save Civilization, published in 2009, is a continuation of the critical themes covered by his earlier books. The book is written as a final warning call for the leaders of the world to begin "mobilizing to save civilization" and stresses even more that time is of the essence.At California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
, Plan B has become "required reading for all incoming freshmen." The university says that it is being used in many courses in History, English, Philosophy, Communications, Political and Social Science.
Awards and recognition
Lester Brown is the recipient of many prizes and awards, including 25 honorary degrees, and is an honorary professor of the Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
.
- 1965 Recipient of Superior Service award, United States Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
- 1965 Arthur S. Flemming award
- 1981 A.H. Boerma award, U.N. Food and Agriculture OrganizationFood and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
- 1982 UN Environmental Program Leadership medal
- 1985 Lorax award of the Global Tomorrow Coalition
- 1989 World Wildlife Fund for Nature - International
- 1987 UN Environmental prize
- 1991 A. Bizzozero award, University of Parma
- 1991 Humanist of the Year award
- 1991 Pro Mundo Habitabili award, King Carl Gustaf XVI, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- 1991 Delphi International Cooperation award
- 1992 Cervia Ambiente prize, Italy
- 1992 Robert Rodale Lecture award
- 1993 Certificate of Special Recognition from the Association of American GeographersAssociation of American GeographersThe Association of American Geographers is a non-profit scientific and educational society founded in 1904 and aimed at advancing the understanding, study, and importance of geography and related fields...
- 1994 Blue Planet prize, Asahi Glass Foundation
- 1994 J. Sterling Morton Arbor DayArbor DayArbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.Many...
award - 1995 Public Service award, Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
- 1995 Rachel CarsonRachel CarsonRachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
Environmental Achievement award - 2000 Bruno H. Schubert Foundation environment award
- 2001 Natural Business Leadership award
- 2002 Excellence Advantage award, International Fund for China's Environment
- 2002 Italian Presidential medal
- 2003 George and Greta Borgstrom prize, Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and ForestryRoyal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and ForestryThe Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry , formerly the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture , founded in 1813 at the initiative of Crown Prince Charles, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
- 2005 Claire Matzger Lilienthal Distinguished Lecture award, California Academy of Science
- 2005, The Works of Lester R. Brown, permanent exhibit, Cook College, Rutgers University
- 2008, Heifer All-Star (Heifer International Annual Award)
- 2009, Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award
- 2010, University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame
Honorable mention
- 1995 selected: list of 100 people Who Made A Difference by The Earth Times
- 1998 selected: list of 100 Champions of Conservation, Audubon Society
- 2000 named one of the People of the Century by The Daily Journal, New Jersey
- 2003 One of 500 Most Influential People in U.S. Foreign Policy, World Affairs CouncilWorld Affairs Councils of AmericaThe World Affairs Councils of America represents and supports the largest national non-partisan network of local councils that are dedicated to educating, inspiring and engaging Americans in international affairs and the critical global issues of our times. The network consists of 94 councils in 40...
of America - 2005 One of 30 Global Visionaries by PLANET° Magazine
- 2005 named to BridgetonBridgeton, New JerseyBridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
, NJ Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame - 2010 One of top 100 top global thinkers, by Foreign PolicyForeign PolicyForeign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
magazine
Memberships
- Fellow of the World Business Academy
- Council of Foreign Relations
- World Future SocietyWorld Future SocietyThe World Future Society is a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Bethesda, Maryland, US, founded in 1966.The Society investigates how social, economic and technological developments are shaping the future...
- Cosmos ClubCosmos ClubThe Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
- Sierra ClubSierra ClubThe Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
(advanced council for excellence in environmental engineeringEnvironmental engineeringEnvironmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...
)
Literary Awards
- Christopher Award for By Bread Alone
- Ecologia Firenze (Italian literary award) for The Twenty-Ninth Day
- A.H. Boerma Award, FAO, for writings on the world food problem
- Best Translated Book, award from the Ministry of Culture, Iran, for Full House
- Top Ten Book award, TheGlobalist.com, for Eco-Economy
- Top Ten Book award, TheGlobalist.com, for Plan B
- Best Nonfiction Book award from the Peka Institute, Iran, for Eco-Economy
- Book of the Week award, TheGlobalist.com, for Outgrowing the Earth
- Book of the Month award, Omnipedia, for Plan B
- National Library of China book award for Plan B (Chinese edition)
External links
- Biography of Lester R. Brown at the Earth Policy Institute
- Lester Brown speaking at U.C. Berkeley (video 1 hr. 7 min. video)
- Lester Brown Interview about The Water Crisis - MP3
- A Conversation With Lester Brown - TreeHuggerTV interview with Lester Brown
- "If You Like Challenges, There's No Greater Time to be Alive." - Video interview with Lester Brown, from elephant journal.
- Lester R. Brown in Stockholm, May 7th-8th 2010 | YouTube - Videos from Lester Browns visit in Stockholm and the Swedish Plan B, May 2010
Online books by Lester R. Brown:
- Who Will Feed China? (1995); complete book online
- Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth (2001); complete book online (html pages and pdf document)
- Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stress & a Civilization in Trouble (2003); complete book online (html pages and pdf document)
- Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising Temperatures (2005); complete book online (html pages and pdf document)
- Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet under Stress & a Civilization in Trouble (2006); complete book online (html pages and pdf document)
- Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (2008); complete book online (html pages and pdf document)
- Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (2009); complete book online (html pages and pdf document)
- World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse (2011)