In this study, the award-winning environmental analyst Lester Brown and his colleagues have charted progress in building the eco-economy - an economy in harmony with the Earth's ecosystems, not undermining them. This edition of the biennial reader highlights 12 key trends, from population growing by 80 million annually, to ice melting, to the boom in use of solar cells. It explains, for example, why wind-generated electricity is emerging as the foundation of the new post-fossil fuel energy economy. It also specifically investigates China's desertification problem, the issues surrounding food production, and the challenge of controlling climate change. Drawing on research and analysis by the Earth Policy Institute, the reader monitors the shift from the old economy to the new.

In this study, the award-winning environmental analyst Lester Brown and his colleagues have charted progress in building the eco-economy - an economy in harmony with the Earth's ecosystems, not undermining them. This edition of the biennial reader highlights 12 key trends, from population growing by 80 million annually, to ice melting, to the boom in use of solar cells. It explains, for example, why wind-generated electricity is emerging as the foundation of the new post-fossil fuel energy economy. It also specifically investigates China's desertification problem, the issues surrounding food production, and the challenge of controlling climate change. Drawing on research and analysis by the Earth Policy Institute, the reader monitors the shift from the old economy to the new.

The Economic Costs of Ecological Deficits Deserts Invading China 7 Advancing Deserts Gaining Momentum From Ecological Deficits to Dust Bowl Spreading Deserts: The Response The National Costs of Failure The Worldwide Effect of Failure Assessing the Food Prospect 29 Soil: Surplus to Deficit The Fast-Growing Water Deficit The Changing Food Economy The Soybean Factor Future Food Security Facing the Cl. [...] Part 1 of the book looks at the ecological deficits that the world is now facing and at their effect on the food and energy economies. [...] He also assembled the skilled team of translators and supervised the production of the Chinese edition for the People's Publishing House. [...] One of the highlights of publishing Eco-Economy was the 14 excerpts pub- lished in magazines, including The Ecologist, The Futur- ist, The Humanist, Mother Earth News, and Solar Today. [...] There are also more than a dozen electronic news net- works and Web sites that regularly carry or cover the xvi THE EARTH POLICY READER Within the foundation community, a number of foun- dations distributed copies of Eco-Economy to their direc- tors, including the Educational Foundation of America, the Rasmussen Foundation, the Summit Foundation, the Turner Foundation, the Wallace Genetic Foundati.

Charts the progress of the building of an "eco-economy" that is compatible with the earth's ecosystem, discussing such topics as wind-generated electricity, post-fossil fuel energy, and recycling industries.

A bold new plan for those concerned about rising temperatures, population projections, and spreading water scarcity.

This annual volume from the Worldwatch Institute gives prominence to key trends that often escape the attention of the news media, world leaders and economic experts. The book distils 36 vital signs of our times from thousands of governmental, industrial and scientific sources, allowing readers to track key indicators that show our social, economic and environmental progress, or lack of it. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics, providing a thorough overview.