Table of Contents

Lester R. Brown

Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stress &
a Civilization in Trouble (2003)

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Preface

Acknowledgements

1. A Planet Under Stress
Introduction
Ecological Bills Coming Due
Farmers Facing Two New Challenges
Ecological Meltdown in China
Food: A National Security Issue
The Case for Plan B

I. A Civilization in Trouble

2. Emerging Water Shortages
Introduction
Falling Water Tables
Rivers Running Dry
Farmers Losing to Cities
Scarcity Crossing National Borders
A Food Bubble Economy

3. Eroding Soils & Shrinking Grainland
Introduction
Soil Erosion: Wind and Water
Advancing Deserts
Crops and Cars Compete for Land
The Land Hungry Soybean
Grainland Gains and Losses
Spreading Land Hunger

4. Rising Temperatures and Rising Seas
Introduction
The Temperature Record
The Yield Effect
Reservoirs in the Sky
Melting Ice and Rising Seas
More Destructive Storms
Subsidizing Climate Change

5. Our Socially Divided World
Introduction
Life Expectancy: A Seminal Indicator
The Effects of the HIV Epidemic
Poverty and Hunger
Poverty and the Burden of Disease
The High Cost of Illiteracy

6. Plan A: Business as Usual
Introduction
Accelerating Environmental Decline
Spreading Hunger, Growing Unrest
Streams of Environmental Refugees
Population Growth and Political Conflict
Plan A: Overwhelmed by Problems

II. The Response - Plan B

7. Raising Water Productivity
Introduction
Adopting Realistic Prices
Raising Irrigation Water Productivity
Rainwater Harvesting
Raising Nonfarm Water Productivity
A Global Full-Court Press

8. Raising Land Productivity
Introduction
Rethinking Land Productivity
Multiple Cropping
Raising Protein Efficiency
A Second Harvest
Saving Soil and Cropland
Restoring the Earth

9. Cutting Carbon Emissions in Half
Introduction
Raising Energy Productivity
Harnessing the Wind
Converting Sunlight into Electricity
Energy from the Earth
Building the Hydrogen Economy
Cutting Carbon Emissions

10. Responding to the Social Challenge
Introduction
Stabilizing Population
Universal Basic Education
Curbing the HIV Epidemic
Health for All
School Lunches for the Poor
Breaking Out

III. The Only Option

11. Plan B: Rising to the Challenge
Introduction
Deflating the Bubble
A Wartime Mobilization
Creating an Honest Market
Shifting Taxes
Shifting Subsidies
A Call to Greatness

Endnotes & About the Author