World on the Edge Released 2006
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Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble

Lester R. Brown

An expansion and update to Brown's best-selling Plan B. Here he outlines a plan, a budget, and a timetable for rescuing our twenty-first century civilization. The plan includes eradicating poverty and stabilizing population, protecting and restoring soils, forests, rangelands, and fisheries, and conserving the earth's biological diversity.

Table of Contents:

Preface » (pdf)

  1. Entering a New World » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    The Nature of a New World »
    Learning from China »
    Learning from the Past »
    The Emerging Politics of Scarcity »
    Getting the Price Right »
    Plan B—A Plan of Hope »

    PART I. A CIVILIZATION IN TROUBLE

  2. Beyond the Oil Peak » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    The Coming Decline of Oil »
    The Oil Intensity of Food »
    The Falling Wheat-Oil Exchange Rate »
    Food and Fuel Compete for Land »
    Cities and Suburbs after Peak Oil »
    The World After Oil Peaks »
     
  3. Emerging Water Shortages » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Falling Water Tables »
    Rivers Running Dry »
    Disappearing Lakes »
    Farmers Losing to Cities »
    Scarcity Crossing National Borders »
    A Food Bubble Economy »
     
  4. Rising Temperatures and Rising Seas » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Rising Temperature and its Effects »
    The Crop Yield Effect »
    Reservoirs in the Sky »
    Melting Ice and Rising Seas »
    More Destructive Stores »
    Subsidizing Climate Change »
     
  5. Natural Systems Under Stress » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Shrinking Forests: The Costs »
    Losing Soil »
    Deteriorating Rangelands »
    Advancing Deserts »
    Collapsing Fisheries »
    Disappearing Plants and Animals »
     
  6. Early Signs of Decline » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Our Socially Divided World »
    Health Challenge Growing »
    Throwaway Economy in Trouble »
    Population and Resource Conflicts »
    Environmental Refugees on the Rise »
    Failed States and Terrorism »

    PART II. THE RESPONSE – PLAN B

  7. Eradicating Poverty, Stabilizing Population » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Universal Basic Education »
    Stabilizing Population »
    Better Health for All »
    Curbing the HIV Epidemic »
    Reducing Farm Subsidies and Debt »
    A Poverty-Eradication Budget »
     
  8. Restoring the Earth » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Protecting and Restoring Forests »
    Conserving and Rebuilding Soils »
    Meeting Nature's Water Needs »
    Regenerating Fisheries »
    Protecting Plant and Animal Diversity »
    The Earth Restoration Budget »
     
  9. Feeding Seven Billion Well » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Rethinking Land Productivity »
    Raising Water Productivity »
    Producing Protein More Efficiently »
    New Protein Production Systems »
    Moving Down the Food Chain »
    Action on Many Fronts »
     
  10. Stabilizing Climate » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Raising Energy Productivity »
    Harnessing the Wind »
    Hybrid Cars and Wind Power »
    Converting Sunlight to Electricity »
    Energy From the Earth »
    Cutting Carbon Emissions Fast »
     
  11. Designing Sustainable Cities » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    The Ecology of Cities »
    Redesigning Urban Transport »
    Farming in the City »
    Reducing Urban Water Use »
    The Challenge of Urban Slums »
    Cities for People »

    PART III: AN EXCITING NEW OPTION

  12. Building a New Economy » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Shifting Taxes »
    Shifting Subsidies »
    Ecolabeling: Voting With Our Wallets »
    A New Materials Economy »
    New Industries, New Jobs »
    The Environmental Revolution »
     
  13. Plan B: Building a New Future » (pdf)
    Introduction »
    Listening for Wake-Up Calls »
    A Wartime Mobilization »
    Mobilizing to Save Civilization »
    A Call to Greatness »
    You and Me »



Additional Resources »(pdf)
Notes » (pdf)
Index » (pdf)
Acknowledgements » (pdf)
About the Author » (pdf)