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One of the world's most influential thinkers.—Washington PostIn 1543, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the view that the Sun revolved around the Earth, arguing instead that the Earth revolved around the Sun. His paper led to a revolution in thinking—to a new worldview. Eco-Economy discusses the need today for a similar shift in our worldview. The issue now is whether the environment is part of the economy or the economy is part of the environment. Lester R. Brown argues the latter, pointing out that treating the environment as part of the economy has produced an economy that is destroying its natural support systems. Brown notes that if China were to have a car in every garage, American style, it would need 80 million barrels of oil a day—more than the world currently produces. If paper consumption per person in China were to reach the U.S. level, China would need more paper than the world produces. There go the world's forests. If the fossil fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economic model will not work for China, it will not work for the other 3 billion people in the developing world—and it will not work for the rest of the world. But Brown is optimistic as he describes how to restructure the global economy to make it compatible with the Earth's ecosystem so that economic progress can continue. In the new economy, wind farms replace coal mines, hydrogen-powered fuel cells replace internal combustion engines, and cities are designed for people, not cars. Glimpses of the new economy can be seen in the wind farms of Denmark, the solar rooftops of Japan, and the bicycle network of the Netherlands. Eco-Economy is a road map of how to get from here to there.
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from Lester R. Brown, Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth (W. W. Norton & Co., NY: 2001) © 2001 Earth Policy Institute ® . All Rights Reserved.
Eco-Economy
OT H E R NORT O N BOOKS B Y L E S T E R R. B R O W N
State of the World 1984 through 2001 annual, with others
The World Watch Reader 1991 editor
Vital Signs 1992 through 2001 annual, with others
Saving the Planet with Christopher Flavin and Sandra Postel
Beyond Malthus with Gary Gardner and Brian Halweil
Building a Sustainable Society
The World Watch Reader 1998 editor with Ed Ayres
Running on Empty with Colin Norman and Christopher Flavin
Tough Choices
The Twenty-Ninth Day
Who Will Feed China?
In the Human Interest
Full House with Hal Kane
Earth Policy Institute® is dedicated to providing a vision of an ecoeconomy and a roadmap on how to get from here to there. It is media-oriented, seeking to reach decisionmakers at all levels, ranging from the Secretary General of the United Nations to individual consumers. Its three primary products are Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, a series of four-page Earth Policy Alerts, and similarly brief Eco-Economy Updates that identify major milestones or setbacks in building an eco-economy. All of these can be downloaded at no charge from the EPI Web site.
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ECO-ECONOMY Building an Economy for the Earth Lester R. Brown
EARTH POLICY INSTITUTE ®
W . W . NORTON & COMPANY NEW YORK
LONDON
Copyright © 2001 by Earth Policy Institute ® All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First Edition
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