MOBILIZING TO SAVE CIVILIZATION: WHAT YOU AND I CAN DO
http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/Seg/PB3ch13_ss7.htm

Lester R. Brown

One of the questions I am frequently asked when I am speaking in various countries is, given the environmental problems that the world is facing, can we make it? That is, can we avoid economic decline and the collapse of civilization? My answer is always the same: it depends on you and me, on what you and I do to reverse these trends. It means becoming politically active. Saving our civilization is not a spectator sport.

We have moved into this new world so fast that we have not yet fully grasped the meaning of what is happening. Traditionally, concern for our children has translated into getting them the best health care and education possible. But if we do not act quickly to reverse the earth’s environmental deterioration, eradicate poverty, and stabilize population, their world will decline economically and disintegrate politically.

The two overriding policy challenges are to restructure taxes and reorder fiscal priorities. Saving civilization means Read the rest of this entry »

(From THE BEST book on how to create a sustainable future)
RAISING ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN A NEW MATERIALS ECONOMY - Part II*

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/Seg/PB3ch11_ss6b.htm

Lester R. Brown

There is a vast worldwide potential for cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by reducing the use of materials. This begins with the major metals–steel, aluminum, and copper–where recycling requires only a fraction of the energy needed to produce these metals from virgin ore, and with the recycling and composting of most household garbage. It continues with designing cars, appliances, and other products so they are easily disassembled into their component parts for reuse or recycling.

Germany and, more recently, Japan are requiring that products such as automobiles, household appliances, and office equipment be designed for easy disassembly and recycling. In May 1998, the Japanese Diet enacted a tough appliance recycling law, one that prohibits discarding household appliances, such as washing machines, TV sets, or air conditioners. With consumers bearing the cost of disassembling appliances in the form of a disposal fee to recycling firms, which can come to $60 for a refrigerator or $35 for a washing machine, the pressure to design appliances so they can be more easily and cheaply disassembled is strong.

Closely related to this concept is that of remanufacturing. Read the rest of this entry »

This just in! While Obama and Clinton favor NUCLEAR power, wind is looking more and more the smart person’s play. FYI - Ralph Nader is a big wind (now don’t say “bag”!) supporter. But, hey, the great news is that no matter who you vote for (Clinton, Obama or the Republican guy), you’ll be picking a President without a developed environmental agenda! John Edwards for VP? Then you’ll get my vote, Obama.
Eco-Economy Indicator — WIND ENERGY
March 4, 2008

Eco-Economy Indicators are the twelve trends the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an environmentally sustainable economy — an eco-economy. Wind power capacity is an indicator because wind is poised to become the foundation of the new energy economy.

GLOBAL WIND POWER CAPACITY REACHES 100,000 MEGAWATTS
Jonathan G. Dorn

At its current growth rate, global installed wind power capacity will top 100,000 megawatts in March 2008. In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 megawatts, bringing the world total to 94,100 megawatts — enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of 150 million people. Driven by concerns regarding climate change and energy security, one in every three countries now generates a portion of its electricity from wind, with 13 countries each exceeding 1,000 megawatts of installed wind electricity-generating capacity…

For entire text see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Wind/2008.htm
For data see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Wind/2008_data.htm

For an index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Wind Energy see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Wind/index.htm

And for a plan to move rapidly to renewable energy, see Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, by Lester R. Brown, posted on-line for free downloading at http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm.