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Lester Russell Brown

Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth Paperback – January 1, 2002

by Lester r.Brown (Author)

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Language

English
Publisher

Orient Black Swan
Publication date

January 1, 2002
ISBN-10

8125022031
ISBN-13

978-8125022039
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4.2 out of 5

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J.W.K

20/20 VISIONARY

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2002

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Lester Brown occupies an unique position, as former president and founder of the Worldwatch Institute and current president of the Earth Policy Institute (check out both sites online). Not only does he want to make a change, but he has access to information that is truly global in scope. There may perhaps be no other author with such an intimate understanding of the trends that now face humanity at the dawn of this new century.

The first quarter of the book provides a bird's-eye view of our planet, a planet in decline. Whatever undefined notions you might have had about what writer Thomas Berry has termed 'ecocide' will suddenly be very clear. Afer a litany of statistics that are absolutely mind-boggling, Brown's statement, "we are losing the war to save the planet," no longer smacks of hyperbole. However, this is no pessimist's rant.

The next third of the book outlines a stunning vision of Brown's eco-economy. Don't mistake, this is not eco-utopia - but damn close! Cars that produce water as waste. Sustainable fisheries and forest that don't collapse. An economy based on wind and solar-power. His vision of a sustainable tomorrow is nothing less than the measure of today. I hesitate to think of what will happen if we continue with business as usual, that is, if we continue with our fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy.

The last third of the book outlines the practical steps we must make in order to bring about this eco-era. These include: a tax shift that hits messy industries, the end of government subsidized deforestation, quality ecolabeling (voting with our wallets), and tradable permits that set well-defined limits on, say, units of fish caught per year. Brown, like so many oher eco-economists, also emphasizes the need to work within the limits of our natural capital (nature's productive and absorbtion capacity).

Every section of this book is cogently argued, factual and compelling, and his ideas for change are stunning. From the role of NGOs and the United Nations to individual initiatives, like green power options, this book is very down to earth and pragmatic about change. Unlike most studies in ecology, economics, or politics, Brown doesn't limit himself to one aspect of the discussion. You get the facts, a comprehensive vision, and the concrete steps required to bring that vision into reality.

This is a must read for anybody interested in environmentalism, economics, futurism, or governmental policy in general. The Washington Post nailed it on the head when they described Brown as "One of the world's most influential thinkers." Read this book, and see the world through this remarkable man's eyes.

Essential reading.

j.w.k.

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Hubstermeister

Inspiring, a bit sparse on information

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2009

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If you're interested in thinking about economics and being ecological and you don't know too much about it, this book is a nice read but take it with a grain of salt. If you get past the starry-eyed "visionary" thinking and wonder about the nuts and bolts then there are glaring omissions in the book as well as a many engineering, geopolitical and consumer issues that are glossed over or presented as if they will just magically happen (the wind power issues for instance).

2 people found this helpful

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Carlin R. Buchanan

Essential Reading

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2003

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Reading through Eco-Economy, I found the author's ideas informative and exciting. Here is a book that doesn't just cry out that we're destroying our planet, it describes logical and effective methods to turn the tide. He doesn't demand countless restrictions on industry. Instead, he argues that the economy will cease being the environmentally destructive force it has become if it simply took into account the ecology from which all economic resources come from. As ecological resources dwindle, so will the economy. Taking that loss into account is the core of what this book is about.

2 people found this helpful

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Relentless

No-Nonsense Approach to a Very Serious Issue

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2003

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The book deserves every single star rating it has. It's well redacted, the ideas are well put by the author, and it's easily accesible for those who don't have a science/environment/economics background. All the ideas and conclusions are superbly supported, and the book leads the reader to unavoidable conclusions about what to do with our environment. This book's is so relvant to today's economy/ecology, then the author goes further and puts forth a workable framework to both, save the economy and humnaity. Very good book indeed.

3 people found this helpful

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ryan jones salcido

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2015

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Excelent product!

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DAVID-LEONARD WILLIS

A convincing vision of a sustainable society

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2004

Lester Brown, Chairman of the Worldwatch Institute, which is known for the high quality of its reports, presents his vision of an environmentally sustainable economy - an eco-economy. The purpose of his book is to show that we have no alternative to restructuring the economy if we want economic progress, to describe with some degree of confidence what the eco-economy will look like and to outline a strategy of how to get there in the time available.
After cataloguing the grim decline in the planet's ability to carry on with business as usual, and pointing out that mismanagement is destroying forests, rangelands, fisheries and croplands, - the four eco-systems that supply our food and, except for minerals, all our raw materials - Eco-Economy provides hope that the solutions are within our reach, affordable and can lead to new employment opportunities and a higher standard of living.
An economy is sustainable only if it respects the principles of ecology; if it does not, it will decline and eventually collapse; there is no middle ground. Relying on distorted market signals to guide investment decisions is a recipe for disaster. We need a change in mind set similar to that when our ancestors accepted that the earth revolves around the sun.
Twenty five years ago the concept of environmentally sustainable development - restoring carbon balances, stabilizing population and water tables, conserving forests, soils and plant/animal diversity - was introduced but not one country is progressing satisfactorily on all fronts. Nonetheless glimpses of the eco-economy are visible. Many countries have stabilized their population - the first requirement for a sustainable future, - banned construction of coal-fired power plants or nonrefillable beverage containers, reforested, and encouraged use of bicycles. These are all facets of building a sustainable economy in marked contrast to the fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy of today.
Perhaps the most profound change will occur in the energy field where wind-generated energy at a cost as low as four cents per watt is likely to be a major source of energy for the foreseeable future. By electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen during slack times we have the means of storing wind energy and, in due course, of transporting it through defunct oil and gas pipe lines. Use of natural gas will keep expanding for the present as it is an ideal fuel for the transition from a carbon-based economy to one based on hydrogen. Together, electricity and hydrogen can meet all the needs of a modern society. Other renewable sources of energy will play a lesser role. During the 1990s photovoltaic sales increased by an average of 20% per year, climbing by 43% in 2000, while the capacity of geothermal increased by 4% and hydro by 2%. Energy conservation and efficiency is still the best investment we can make with such items as compact fluorescent lamps having a very rapid pay back. The United States could meet the Kyoto protocol by 2010 simply by moving to Europe's energy efficiency levels, which in turn are not yet taking full advantage of the state of the art technologies.
The second major change will occur in materials handling. Failure to adopt a comprehensive recycling program has resulted in removing New York City's 12,000 ton daily output of garbage in a fleet of vehicles 15 km long, on the 900 km round trip. A simple measure like recycling paper would shorten the convoy by 4.5kms. Metals are a major problem as their mining and processing are environmentally destructive and energy intensive. Redesigning the materials economy to be compatible with the eco-system includes such measures as easy disassembly for recycling, reducing waste generation, banning throw away beverage containers, improved methods of manufacturing, clustering factories so that waste from one acts as an input to another, legislation requiring a minimum percentage of recycled material and setting a zero emissions goal. Most worrying of all is China's rapid rise in standard of living and the world's inability to support a western standard of living with a western way of doing business. As an example if annual paper use in China were to rise to US levels, it would need more paper than the world currently produces. Mr. Brown describes ways to do the same job using far less raw material.
In similar fashion the book deals with agriculture and food, forest products, cities, population stabilization, and leadership.
This book has helped me in two ways. First, I lacked a grand and convincing vision of what a sustainable society might look like and the second was that in a period of such rapid change I feared that an investment today might turn out to be a white elephant tomorrow. I believe that the future painted by Lester Brown is not only possible but is almost bound to happen if each of us do our part, as much is already being put in place. I can adopt his vision as my vision feeling much more confident in my actions and that I can leave a better world to my children and grandchildren.
In Bangkok one evening at 9pm all television stations focused on a huge electricity meter while the announcer asked everyone to switch off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances. Everyone was amazed to see the meter wind down enough to switch out two power stations. We have to remember that building a sustainable economy requires both major structural changes in addition to billions of small actions world wide.

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Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth Paperback – January 1, 2002

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