(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 »

Last night, I hopped in the gas-guzzler and made my way down to San Francisco, where Earth Policy Institute founder, Lester Brown, gave a riveting talk at the World Affairs Council. The talk was part of his book tour for the recently released “most important book on the planet,” Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. If you care about the future and you haven’t read the book, you need to correct that mistake pronto. I cannot possibly urge you more strongly. Please. Read it for yourself and for those whom you care about.

I can’t say it LOUD ENOUGH!

READ THIS BOOK.
I won’t summarize a one-hour talk that summarized a book you will be reading shortly. In fact, you can read it for FREE, online, RIGHT HERE. What matters most is that we’ve twelve years (until 2020), to reduce our carbon footprint by 80%, or we’re absolutely cooked. Will the will to achieve this achievable goal manifest? I’m not betting on it, not when I look around and within. Around me I see the majority of people, even the “Treehuggers” who aren’t ready to really commit to the changes required. Aren’t ready to do more than buy a Prius and some carbon offset passes. Within me I see a person who can rail at the lack of will in others yet who does so out of frustration that he isn’t likely to make those changes either. Oh, I’ll try, but 80% in little more than a decade? It’s going to take more than incremental baby steps.

Some of you know that I refuse to come out for any of the current presidential hopefuls. I don’t see any of them as qualified, untainted, or possessing the fortitude to do what is right for not only our country, but the world. That said, hearing one of my true heroes come out in support of Obama, gave me pause. Brown sees Obama’s message as more forceful than a handful of proffered solutions to the topical (my word, not Les’) problems that fascinate us (war, economy, health). He finds Barack to be a leader whose VISION will offer new solutions to many problems, including environmental. He sees Obama as the only candidate that will bring about the environment in which bold solutions will be not only dreamed up but executed. What’s more, Brown finds hope in the millions of youth who are whole-heartedly adopting Obama’s “Yes, we can!” message.

I don’t know that I flat out disagree with Les, but I’m not as hopeful. I saw millions of youth getting behind Clinton. I was one of them. We helped put him in office. And once he was there, we all sat back down. We held his feet to the flames not one time. And he got away with murder during the next eight years, putting into action not one of his liberal promises. Instead, he allied himself with big oil, with Monsanto, with the Bush family…he betrayed us in the worst way and oversaw/endoresed environmental transgressions of the worst kind. No, Obama isn’t Clinton. But I’ll tell you what, I’m gun shy as hell about the Democrats and their ‘promises’.

If Obama will press charges against Bush/Cheney, bring Edwards aboard as V.P., AND provide solid details about the people he will put into cabinet positions, he will earn my note. Otherwise, it will be my first (and likely not last) None of the Above vote. Sorry, Les. I want to agree with you, but I can’t. Yet.

Eco-Economy Indicator — ICE MELT

February 4, 2008

Eco-Economy Indicators are the twelve trends the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. Ice melting is one of the most visible indicators of climate change.

ICE MELT ACCELERATES AROUND THE WORLD
Frances C. Moore

With atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at new record highs and global average temperature now some 0.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the frozen regions of the earth are showing us just how rapidly climate change can take effect. Recent years have seen ice melt accelerate and spread to new, previously unaffected regions. In many areas, the pace of melting has surprised even the scientists studying it most closely, providing a strong early indication that the consequences of climate change could come faster and be more severe than previously believed.

The most dramatic loss of ice in recent years has been the decline of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Between 1953 and 2006, the area covered by sea ice in September shrunk by 7.8 percent per decade, more than three times as fast as the average rate simulated by climate models. Researchers were further stunned in the summer of 2007 when Arctic sea ice extent plummeted to the lowest level ever measured, more than 20 percent below the 2005 record…

For entire text see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Ice/2008.htm
For data see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Ice/2008_data.htm

For an index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Ice Melt see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Ice/index.htm

And for more information on the effects of rising temperature and how to stabilize climate, you may be interested in Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester R. Brown (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008), posted at http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm.

[tags]lester brown, earth policy institute[/tags]

Ice caps will be GONE by the end of 2013. . . .2007 is the 2nd warmest year on record.

Hmmm. . .

Eco-Economy Indicator — GLOBAL TEMPERATURE

January 10, 2008

Eco-Economy Indicators are the twelve trends the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. Taking the earth’s temperature tells us about the relative health of the planet.

2007 SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD
Northern Hemisphere Temperature Highest Ever

Frances C. Moore

With the record for 2007 now complete, it is clear that temperatures around the world are continuing their upward climb. The global average in 2007 was 14.73 degrees Celsius (58.5 degrees Fahrenheit) — the second warmest year on record, only 0.03 degrees Celsius behind the 2005 maximum. January 2007 was the hottest January ever measured, a full 0.23 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record. August was also a record for that month, and September was the second warmest September recorded.

Looking at the northern hemisphere alone, 2007 temperatures averaged 15.04 degrees Celsius (59.1 degrees Fahrenheit) — easily the hottest year in the northern half of the globe since the record began in 1880, and more than a degree warmer than the 1951–80 average…

For entire text see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Temp/2008.htm

For data see http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Temp/2008_data.htm

For an index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Temperature and Climate see:

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Temp/index.htm

And for more on the effects of rising temperature and how to stabilize climate, you may be interested in Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester R. Brown (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008). Information about this book is on-line at http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm.
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SANTA CLAUS IS CHINESE

Why China Is Rising and the United States Is Declining

http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update62.htm

by Lester R. Brown

I know Santa Claus is Chinese because each Christmas morning after all the gifts are unwrapped and things settle down I systematically go through the presents to see where they are made. The results are almost always the same: roughly 70 percent are from China. After some research, it seems that my one-family survey is representative of the country as a whole.

Let’s start with toys. Some 80 percent of the toys sold in the United States–from Barbie dolls to video games–are made in China. Talking toys that speak English learned the language from Chinese workers. Electronic goods–from Apple’s iPod to Microsoft’s Xbox–are made in China. Clothing–from the latest cashmere sweaters to gym suits–is also likely to have a “Made in China” label.

The Christmas tree itself may come from China. While real Christmas trees are grown in every state in the United States and are marketed locally, many families now gather around artificial Christmas trees. Eight out of every 10 artificial Christmas trees sold in the United States are made in China. Last year Americans spent over $130 million on plastic Christmas trees from China.

This year Americans will spend over $1 billion on Christmas ornaments from China. And in perhaps the greatest irony of all, even nativity scenes are made in China. Last year Americans spent more than $39 million buying nativity scenes shipped in from the East. China’s success in attracting foreign investment capital and mobilizing this huge workforce has made it the workshop of the world.

That the U.S. Christmas is made in China is a metaphor for a far deeper set of economic issues affecting the United States. Today Christmas is celebrated in both the United States and China–but for different reasons and with far different economic consequences. For the Chinese, the manufacturing bonanza means record profits, rising incomes, and, in a society where people save some 40 percent of their income, a sharp jump in savings. In the United States, Christmas shopping expenditures, headed for another record high this year, contribute to rising credit card debt and a soaring trade deficit.

Underneath the American Christmas spirit and good cheer is a debt-laden society that appears to have lost its way, marred in the quicksand of consumerism. As a society, we seem to have forgotten how to Read the rest of this entry »

IT’S HERE! CLICK HERE TO BUY PLAN B 3.0!!

In all honestly, I can’t think of a better holiday present than the third version of Lester Brown’s seminal “Plan B”. A more nuanced, better balanced call to eco-action and responsibility cannot be found. Unlike too many other books and movies, “Plan B” refrains from the shrill tone that alienates too many, instead choosing to lay out facts and examine unfolding global scenarios with utter impartiality. Well, Brown is partial to continued existence of life on Earth, but beyond that he shows no political allegiances as he knows full well it will take politicians of every crooked stripe to bring into reality that changes he urges in his writing.

Best of all, “Plan B” is just what it says, a PLAN to move forward into a realistic, sustainable future.

If you buy this book and find it less than 100% compelling, I will personally refund your purchase price. No, I don’t have a lot of extra funds lying around to back up this promise. Instead, I have absolute faith in this book.

Do what I just did: buy “Plan B 3.0″ directly from Lester Brown and the Earth Policy Institute. Not only will you get it before Amazon and other retailers stock it, but you’ll be directly supporting one of the world’s most important nonprofit research organizations.

REMEMBER: THE NEW PLAN B, VOLUME 3.0 IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER FROM EARTH POLICY INSTITUTE (link below). There is no better New Year’s Resolution reading.
**********************
Earth Policy Institute
Plan B 2.0 Book Byte
For Immediate Release
November 27, 2007

BUILDING NEW INDUSTRIES AND CREATING NEW JOBS IN A PLAN B ECONOMY

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/Seg/PB2ch12_ss6.htm

Lester R. Brown

Building a new economy, one that can sustain economic progress, involves phasing out old industries, restructuring existing ones, and creating new ones. This new economy will be powered by renewable sources of energy, will have a more diverse transport system–relying more on rail, buses, and bicycles, and less on cars–and will recycle everything. For example, coal use will be phased out, replaced by efficiency gains in many countries, but also by natural gas, as in the United Kingdom, and by wind power, as in Denmark and Germany.

The world automobile industry will face a modest restructuring as it shifts from the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine to the gas-electric hybrid, the diesel-electric hybrid, plug-in hybrids, or high-efficiency diesel. This will require a retooling of engine plants and the retraining of automotive engineers and automobile mechanics.

The new economy will also bring major new industries, ones that either do not yet exist or are just beginning. Wind electricity generation is one such industry, incorporating three subsidiary industries: turbine manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. Now in its embryonic stage, this promises to become the foundation of the new energy economy. Millions of turbines soon will be converting wind into cheap electricity, becoming part of the landscape, generating income and jobs in rural communities throughout the world.

As wind power emerges as a mainstream low-cost source of electricity, it will spawn another industry–hydrogen production. Once wind turbines are in wide use, there will be a large, unused capacity during the night when electricity use drops. With this essentially free electricity, turbine owners can turn on the hydrogen generators, converting the wind power into hydrogen. This can then be used to run power plants now fueled with natural gas. The wind turbine will replace the coal mine, the oil well, and the gas field.

Among the many changes in the world food economy will be the continuing shift to fish farming. Aquaculture, the fastest growing subsector of the world food economy, has expanded at 9 percent a year since 1990. The farming of fish, particularly omnivorous species such as carp, catfish, and tilapia, is likely to continue expanding rapidly simply because these fish convert grain into animal protein so efficiently. With this aquacultural growth comes the need for a rapidly expanding aquafeed industry, one where feeds are formulated by fish nutritionists, much as they are for the poultry industry today.

Bicycle manufacturing and servicing is a growth industry. As recently as 1965, world production of cars and bikes was essentially the same, with each at nearly 20 million, but as of 2003 bike production had climbed to over 100 million per year compared with 42 million cars. This growth in bicycle sales reflects growth in the ranks of those reaching the bicycle level of affluence, principally in Asia. Among industrial countries, the urban transport model being pioneered in the Netherlands and Denmark gives a sense of the bicycle’s future role worldwide.

As bicycle use expands, interest in battery-assisted bikes will also grow. Similar to existing bicycles, except for a tiny battery-powered electric motor that can either power the bicycle entirely or partially, its soaring sales are expected to continue climbing.

Yet another growth industry is increasing the productivity of water. Just as the last half-century was devoted to raising land productivity, this half-century will be focused on Read the rest of this entry »

***************************************************
Earth Policy Institute
Plan B Update
Embargoed for November 15, 2007, 11:00 AM EST

IS WORLD OIL PRODUCTION PEAKING?

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2007/Update67.htm

Lester R. Brown

Is world oil production peaking? Quite possibly. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show a pronounced loss of momentum in the growth of oil production during the last few years. After climbing from 82.90 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2004 to 84.15 mb/d in 2005, output only increased to 84.80 mb/d in 2006 and then declined to 84.62 mb/d during the first 10 months of 2007.

The combination of world production slowing down or starting to decline while demand continues to rise rapidly is putting strong upward pressure on prices. Over the past two years, oil prices have climbed from $50 to nearly $100 a barrel. If production growth continues to lag behind the increase in demand, how high will prices go?

There are many ways of assessing the oil production prospect. One is to look at the relationship between oil discoveries and production, a technique pioneered by the legendary U.S. geologist M. King Hubbert. Given the nature of oil production, Hubbert theorized that the time lag between the peaking of new discoveries and that of production was predictable. Noting that the discovery of new reserves in the United States peaked around 1930, he predicted in 1956 that U.S. oil output would peak in 1970. He hit it right on the head.

Globally, oil discoveries peaked in the 1960s. Each year since 1984, world oil production has exceeded new oil discoveries, and by a widening gap. In 2006, the 31 billion barrels of oil extracted far exceeded the discovery of 9 billion barrels.

The aging of oil fields also tells us something about the oil prospect. The world’s 20 largest oil fields were all discovered between 1917 and 1979. (See data at http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2007/Update67_data.htm) Sadad al-Husseini, former senior Saudi oil official, reports that the annual output from the world’s aging fields is falling by 4 mb/d. Offsetting this decline with new discoveries or with more-advanced extraction technologies is becoming increasingly difficult.

Yet another way of assessing the oil prospect is to look separately at the leading oil-producing countries where production is falling, the ones where production is still rising, and those that appear to be on the verge of a downturn. Among the leading oil producers, output appears to have peaked and turned downward in a dozen or so and to still be rising in nine.

Among the post-peak countries are the United States, which peaked at 9.6 mb/d in 1970, dropping to 5.1 mb/d in 2006; Venezuela, where output also peaked in 1970; and the two North Sea oil producers, the United Kingdom and Norway, which peaked in 1999 and 2000.

The pre-peak countries are dominated by Russia, now the world’s leading oil producer, having eclipsed Saudi Arabia in 2006. Two other countries with substantial potential for increasing output are Canada, largely because of its tar sands, and Kazakhstan, which is developing the Kashagan oil field in the Caspian Sea, the only large find in recent decades. Other pre-peak countries include Algeria, Angola, Brazil, Nigeria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the countries where production may be peaking are Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and China. The big question is Read the rest of this entry »

A very sobering look at the environmental horrors in China from the New York Times: IN CHINA, A LAKE’S CHAMPION IMPERILS HIMSELF

Now that Gore has been made Global Eco-Commando-In-Chief, it would seem China could use his help. Alas, the man has yet to come up with a plan to reduce emissions by the needed 80% in the next twenty years, but perhaps he can fly to Beijing and screen his film a few times. Should do the trick, no?

What? You’ve seen “Inconvenient Truth” but you haven’t read George Monbiot’s “HEAT: How to Stop the Planet Warming” or Lester Brown’s “Plan B 2.0?” You mean to tell me you have no idea WHAT DO DO ABOUT THE MESS WE’RE IN?

Seriously, though, this article will remind you of just how difficult the task ahead will be. Thanks, Danny Eagle.

Here’s a little sneak peak: “In 2001, Wen Jiabao, then a vice premier, now China’s prime minister, came to investigate reports of Lake Tai’s deterioration. Like most Communist Party inspection tours, word of this one reached local officials in advance. When Mr. Wen asked to see a typical dye plant, one was made ready, according to several people who witnessed the preparations.

The factory got a fresh coat of paint. The canal that ran beside it was drained, dredged and refilled with fresh water. Shortly before Mr. Wen’s motorcade arrived, workers dumped thousands of carp into the canal. Farmers were positioned along the banks holding fishing rods.

Mr. Wen spent 20 minutes there. A picture of him shaking hands with the factory boss hangs in its lobby. READ ON . . .

[tags]china, chinese[/tags]

This post requires you do a lot o’ readin’. I try to keep things brief, knowing that most who visit this site don’t have time to do much more than look at the snapshots of t&a I routinely hide in the links. Today, I ask that you skip that pointless article in the Times or Post about Hillary vs. Obama and instead read something that actually matters:

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/Seg/PB2ch01_ss4.htm

Lester R. Brown

Our twenty-first century global civilization is not the first to face the prospect of environmentally induced economic decline. The question is how we will respond. We do have one unique asset at our command–an archeological record that shows us what happened to earlier civilizations that got into environmental trouble and failed to respond.

As Jared Diamond points out in his book Collapse, some of the early societies that were in environmental trouble were able to change their ways in time to avoid decline and collapse. Six centuries ago, for example, Icelanders realized that overgrazing on their grass-covered highlands was leading to extensive soil loss from the inherently thin soils of the region. Rather than lose the grasslands and face economic decline, farmers joined together to determine how many sheep the highlands could sustain and then allocated quotas among themselves, thus preserving their grasslands and avoiding what Garrett Hardin later termed the “tragedy of the commons.”

The Icelanders understood the consequences of overgrazing and reduced their sheep numbers to a level that could be sustained. We understand the consequences of burning fossil fuels and the resulting CO2 buildup in the atmosphere. Unlike the Icelanders who were able to restrict their livestock numbers, we have not been able to restrict our CO2 emissions.

Not all societies have fared as well as the Icelanders, Read the rest of this entry »