EPI Releases and Blog http://www.earth-policy.org/ srasmussen@earthpolicy.org Copyright 2012 2012-05-02T12:59:54+00:00 May 02, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights28 Data Highlights - Arab Grain Imports Rising Rapidly The Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa make up only 5 percent of the world’s population, yet they take in more than 20 percent of the world’s grain exports. Imports to the region have jumped from 30 million tons of grain in 1990 to nearly 70 million tons in 2011. Now imported grain accounts for nearly 60 percent of regional grain consumption. With water scarce, arable land limited, and production stagnating, grain imports are likely to continue rising. For full report, visit the EPI website. April 24, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/plan_b_updates/2012/update102 Plan B Updates - Meat Consumption in China Now Double That in the United States More than a quarter of all the meat produced worldwide is now eaten in China, and the country’s 1.35 billion people are hungry for more. In 1978, China’s meat consumption of 8 million tons was one third the U.S. consumption of 24 million tons. But by 1992, China had overtaken the United States as the world’s leading meat consumer—and it has not looked back since. For full report, visit the EPI website. April 11, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/book_bytes/2012/wotech13_ss1 Book Bytes - Getting the Market to Tell the Truth Moving the global economy off its current decline-and-collapse path depends on reaching four goals: stabilizing climate, stabilizing population, eradicating poverty, and restoring the economy’s natural support systems. These goals—comprising what the Earth Policy Institute calls "Plan B" to save civilization—are mutually dependent. All are essential to feeding the world’s people. It is unlikely that we can reach any one goal without reaching the others. The key to restructuring the economy is to get the market to tell the truth through full-cost pricing. For full report, visit the EPI website. April 04, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights27 Data Highlights - Wind Tops 10 Percent Share of Electricity in Five U.S. States A new picture is emerging in the U.S. power sector. In 2007, electricity generation from coal peaked, dropping by close to 4 percent annually between 2007 and 2011. Over the same time period, nuclear generation fell slightly, while natural gas-fired electricity grew by some 3 percent annually and hydropower by 7 percent. Meanwhile, wind-generated electricity grew by a whopping 36 percent each year. For full report, visit the EPI website. March 27, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights26 Data Highlights - Growth in World Contraceptive Use Stalling; 215 Million Women’s Needs Still Unmet In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt, recognized reproductive health and family planning as fundamental human rights. Delegates committed to making voluntary family planning services universally available by 2015. Now just three years from that deadline, at least 215 million women want to prevent or delay pregnancy but are not using effective contraception. Contraceptive prevalence was increasing until 2000, but growth has stalled since then. For full report, visit the EPI website. March 21, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/book_bytes/2012/wotech10_ss4 Book Bytes - How Much Will it Cost to Save Our Economy’s Foundation? During the past two summers, Pakistan was hit with catastrophic floods. The record flooding in the late summer of 2010 was the most devastating natural disaster in Pakistan’s history. The media coverage reported torrential rains as the cause, but there is much more to the story. When Pakistan was created in 1947, some 30 percent of the landscape was covered by forests. Now it is 4 percent. Pakistan’s livestock herd outnumbers that of the United States. With little forest still standing and the countryside grazed bare, there was scant vegetation to retain the rainfall. For full report, visit the EPI website. March 14, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/indicators/C49/wind_power_2012 Eco-Economy Indicators - World Wind Power Climbs to New Record in 2011 Wind energy developers installed a record 41,000 megawatts of electricity-generating capacity in 2011, bringing the world total to 238,000 megawatts. With more than 80 countries now harnessing the wind, there is enough installed wind power capacity worldwide to meet the residential electricity needs of 380 million people at the European level of consumption. For full report, visit the EPI website. March 07, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012/highlights25 Data Highlights - Peak Meat: U.S. Meat Consumption Falling U.S. meat consumption has peaked. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that meat eating across the country fell from the 2004 high point of 184 pounds (83 kilograms) per person to 171 pounds in 2011. Early estimates for 2012 project a further reduction in American meat eating to 166 pounds, making for a 10 percent drop over the eight-year period. For full report, visit the EPI website. February 16, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/indicators/C53/economy_2012 Eco-Economy Indicators - Global Economy Expanded More Slowly than Expected in 2011 The global economy grew 3.8 percent in 2011, a drop from 5.2 percent in 2010. Economists had anticipated a slowdown, but this was even less growth than expected, thanks to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, unrest in oil-producing countries, the debt crisis in Europe, and a stagnating recovery in the United States. As richer economies struggle to recover from the financial crisis of 2008–09, poorer countries are facing high food prices and rising youth unemployment. Meanwhile, growing income inequality and environmental disruption are challenging conventional notions of economic health. For full report, visit the EPI website. January 31, 2012 http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/indicators/C51/temperature_2012 Eco-Economy Indicators - 2011: A Year of Weather Extremes, with More to Come The global average temperature in 2011 was 14.52 degrees Celsius (58.14 degrees Fahrenheit). According to NASA scientists, this was the ninth warmest year in 132 years of recordkeeping, despite the cooling influence of the La Niña atmospheric and oceanic circulation pattern and relatively low solar irradiance. Since the 1970s, each subsequent decade has gotten hotter—and 9 of the 10 hottest years on record have occurred in the twenty-first century. For full report, visit the EPI website. EPI Releases and Blog http://www.earth-policy.org/ srasmussen@earthpolicy.org Copyright 2012 2012-05-02T12:59:54+00:00 http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/something_fun/ EPI Blog - SOMETHING FUN THIS WAY COMES

At its recent Harvard University recently held its third annual Green Carpet Awards, Harvard University presented Lester Brown with the first-ever Alumni Environmental Sustainability Award. For full blog posting, please visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/dots_matter/ EPI Blog - CONNECT THE DOTS—WE ALL MATTER

Bill McKibben’s 350.org has launched Connect the Dots Day. Scheduled for May 5 this global initiative is to draw attention to the fact that people all over the world recognize that climate change is happening and it is creating unpredictable weather events. For full blog posting, please visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/across_our_desks/ EPI Blog - ACROSS OUR DESKS

From time to time, we come across great books that we feel need to be shared. Take a look at these if you are lacking summer reads for vacation or need inspiration. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/behind_the_scenes/ EPI Blog - BEHIND THE SCENES

While our intrepid research team has been diligently working on various Data Highlights and Eco-Economy Indicators (more on the way, so stay tuned!), and while Lester has been immersed in working on his books (spoiler alert!) one on the global food situation, another on the energy situation, and the other his autobiography, the rest of us have been making some changes. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/whos_talking/ EPI Blog - WHO’S TALKING

Even while squirreled away in his office working on three books (!!), Lester Brown is still finding time to weigh in on topics of interest at conferences. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/travelin_man/ EPI Blog - TRAVELIN’ MAN

When Lester Brown left on his trip to Japan and China two weeks ago, he was just about the only member of the staff who wasn’t fighting or down with a cold, flu, or some other illness. Being a world traveler, he is fortunate to have a strong constitution. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

 http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/notable/ EPI Blog - NOTABLE

On Sunday, February 12, Lester Brown will be inducted into the Earth Hall of Fame Kyoto. This prestigious award is given in recognition of the achievements of people who have contributed to the conservation of the global environment. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/letter_from_iran/ EPI Blog - LETTER FROM IRAN

As noted in our previous blogs, we rely on a network of publishers to translate and publish our publications, thus helping us to reach a global audience. Hamid Taravati, who translates and arranges for our books to be published in Iran, sent us an email recently updating us on some of the environmental work going on there. He is also a member of our Board. The following are excerpts from his letter. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/outreach_2011/ EPI Blog - OUTREACH AT THE INSTITUTE: 2011

We realize that it will take an enormous dissemination effort to guide the global transition to a Plan B economy. Thus, at the Institute we work through a combination of a worldwide network of media contacts, publishers, and the Internet to reach a global audience. We also hold press teleconferences to draw special attention to some of the issues. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.

http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/research_2011/ EPI Blog - RESEARCH AT THE INSTITUTE: 2011

So, what have we been up to this past year to promote our plan for saving civilization? That’s what this blog and the next will discuss. For full blog posting, visit the EPI website.