Lester Brown, Guest Writer
Lester R. Brown is president of Earth Policy Institute, an organization dedicated to building a sustainable future. Described by the Washington Post as "one of the world's most influential thinkers," Brown started his career as a tomato farmer. Shortly after earning a degree in agricultural science, he spent six months living in rural India, where he became intimately familiar with the food/population issue. Brown later became head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's International Agricultural Development Service. In 1974 he founded the Worldwatch Institute, leaving in 2001 to found the Earth Policy Institute. He has authored or co-authored over 50 books, the most recent of which is World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse, and has received 24 honorary degrees and numerous awards, including the 1987 United Nations Environment Prize, a MacArthur Foundation "genius award," and the 1994 Blue Planet Prize. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Latest Stories from Lester Brown, Guest Writer - Page 2
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The Great Transition, Part I: From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy
The great energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way.
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Arctic Sea Ice in Free Fall
Comparing recent melt seasons with historical records spanning more than 1,400 years shows summer Arctic sea ice in free fall
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Heat and Drought Ravage U.S. Crop Prospects—Global Stocks Suffer
High temperatures have combined with the worst drought in half a century to wreak havoc on American farms and ranches.
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Offshore Wind Development Picking Up Pace
Wind power is the world's leading source of renewable electricity, excluding hydropower, with 238,000 megawatts of capacity installed at the start of 2012.
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World Forest Area Still on the Decline
Forests provide many important goods, such as timber and paper. They also supply essential services—for example, they filter water, control water runoff, protect soil, regulate climate, cycle and store nutrients.
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Rising Temperature Raising Food Prices
Over the last two months, the price of corn has been climbing. On July 19th, it exceeded $8 per bushel for the first time.
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We Can Reforest the Earth
Protecting the 10 billion acres of remaining forests on earth and replanting many of those already lost are both essential for restoring the earth’s health.
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World in Serious Trouble on Food Front
The world may be much closer to an unmangeable food shortage than most people realize.
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Throwaway Economy Headed for Junk Heap of History
The challenge is to re-evaluate the materials we consume and the way we manufacture products so as to cut down on waste.
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Two Views of Our Future: Science Versus Mainstream Economics
No previous civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural supports. Nor will ours.
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Hydropower Continues Steady Growth
World hydroelectric power generation has risen steadily by an average 3 percent annually over the past four decades.
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Redefining Security for the 21st Century
The 21st century needs a redefinition of security, to something broader than military terms, a relic of the Cold War.
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Fukushima Meltdown Hastens Decline of Nuclear Power
For the first time in over 40 years, Japan has not a single nuclear power plant generating electricity. The March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown shattered public confidence in atomic energy.
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Meat Consumption in China Now Double That in the United States
China’s annual meat consumption of 71 million tons is more than double that in the United States.
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Getting the Market to Tell the Truth
If the world is to move onto a sustainable path we need the market to tell the truth, through full cost pricing.
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Growth in World Contraceptive Use Stalling; 215 Million Women’s Needs Still Unmet
Satisfying the world’s unmet need for contraception would dramatically reduce population growth, easing pressure on natural resources.
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How Much Will it Cost to Save Our Economy’s Foundation?
Many will ask, "Can the world afford these investments?" But the only appropriate question is, "Can the world afford the consequences of not making these investments?"
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World Wind Power Climbs to New Record in 2011
With its long list of attractive attributes—widespread and abundant, quick to scale, climate-benign, and zero fuel cost—wind power is driving the transition to a new energy economy.
