Plan B 2.0 : rescuing a planet under stress and a civilization in trouble
(Book)

Rev. ed. of: Plan B : rescuing a planet under stress and a civilization in trouble. 1st ed. 2003.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [267]-343) and index.

"Our global economy is outgrowing the capacity of the earth to support it, moving us ever closer to decline and possible collapse. We have lost sight of how vast the human enterprise has become. A century ago, annual growth in the world economy was measured in billions of dollars. Today it is measured in trillions. As a result, we are consuming renewable resources faster than they can regenerate. Forests are shrinking, water tables are falling, and fisheries are declining. We are using up oil at a pace that leaves little time to plan beyond peak oil, and we are discharging greenhouse gases into the atmosphere faster than nature can absorb them. Sustaining progress now depends on replacing the fossil fuel-based, throwaway economy with a new economy, one powered by abundant sources of wind, solar energy, hydropower, and biofuels. The transportation system will be far more diverse, relying more on light-rail, buses, and bicycles and less on cars. And it will be a comprehensive reuse-recycle economy. We have the technologies needed to build the new economy, including, forexample, gas-electric hybrid cars, advanced-design wind turbines, highly efficient refrigerators, and water-efficient irrigation systems. We can see how to build the new economy brick by brick. With each wind farm, rooftop solar panel, and reforestation program, we move closer to an economy that can sustain economic progress."--Cover.

Not AR rated.