Plan B 4.0 Mobilizing to save civilization

This new title in the "Plan B" series (e.g., Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, CH, Nov'06, 44-1627) outlines how human demands on the environment have undermined Earth's natural capacities to sustain civilization. Arguing that every major environmental trend, from climate change to deforestation, threatens the food supply, Brown (Earth Policy Institute) urges immediate action to avert severe food shortages that could bring down civilization on a global scale. Part 1, "The Challenges," describes the causes of food shortage: loss of cropland, diminishing water supply, use of grain for fuel, and a growing population to feed. Part 2, "The Response," identifies actionable solutions using existing technologies and practices already in use. Highlights include successful climate-stabilizing innovations such as the garment-recycling program of retailer Patagonia and the shift to solar power in the villages of India. Part 3, "Can We Mobilize Fast Enough?" considers whether it is too late to save civilization. The author calls for immediate and rapid change akin to a massive wartime mobilization effort, and offers specific actions that can effect change. There are extensive notes. The book is also freely available as a PDF download from Earth Policy Institute along with extensive supplementary materials. Summing Up: Recommended. All collections. Copyright 2010 American Library Association.

Citing new understandings about fossil fuels as well as an emergence of what the author terms an "energy economy" of renewable technologies, a revised report explores how daily life is likely to be affected by a dramatic shift in investment practices toward sustainable energy sources. Simultaneous.

Citing new understandings about fossil fuels as well as an emergence of what the author terms an "energy economy" of renewable technologies, a revised report explores how daily life is likely to be affected by a dramatic shift in investment practices toward sustainable energy sources.

As 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.

“[Brown’s] ability to make a complicated subject accessible to the general reader is remarkable.”—Katherine Salant, Washington Post