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Lester R Brown Quotes

It takes 1,000 tons of water to produce 1 ton of grain. As water becomes scarce and countries are forced to divert irrigation water to cities and industry, they will import more grain. As they do so, water scarcity will be transmitted across national borders via the grain trade. Aquifer depletion is a largely invisible threat, but that does not make it any less real Picture Quote #1

Humanity’s greatest challenge may soon be just making it to the next harvest Picture Quote #1

The 20th century was the time when the world turned to use of fossil fuels and the 21st century will be the century of the renewables Picture Quote #1

Nuclear power, once regarded as petroleum’s natural heir, has become less and less attractive as its numerous drawbacks come to light. Coal, the other fossil fuel, is ultimately as exhaustible as oil Picture Quote #1

Global food insecurity is increasing...the slim excess of growth in food production over population is narrowing Picture Quote #1

In today’s integrated world economy, ... eradicating poverty may contribute as much to U.S. security as eradicating terrorism Picture Quote #1

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Socialism failed because it couldn’t tell the economic truth. Capitalism may fail because it couldn’t tell the ecological truth Picture Quote #1

Children whose developing lungs are particularly vulnerable suffer the most from air pollution. For children, breathing the air in cities with the worst pollution, such as Beijing, Calcutta, Mexico City, Shanghai, and Tehran, is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day Picture Quote #1

Each summer, for example, nitrogen and phosphate washing from farmlands in the Mississippi Valley enter the Gulf of Mexico, creating a massive algal bloom covering some 16,000 square kilometers. As the blooms die off, this area-roughly the size of New Jersey-is so deprived of oxygen that no fish survive Picture Quote #1

We know what we have to do. And we know how to do it. If we fail to convert our self-destructing economy into one that is environmentally sustainable, future generations will be overwhelmed by environmental degradation and social disintegration. Simply stated, if our generation does not turn things around, our children may not have the option of doing so Picture Quote #1

Our early 21st century civilization is in trouble. We need not go beyond the world food economy to see this. Over the last few decades we have created a food production bubble-one based on environmental trends that cannot be sustained, including overpumping aquifers, overplowing land, and overloading the atmosphere with carbon dioxide Picture Quote #1

The transition from coal, oil, and gas to wind, solar, and geothermal energy is well under way. In the old economy, energy was produced by burning something -- oil, coal, or natural gas -- leading to the carbon emissions that have come to define our economy. The new energy economy harnesses the energy in wind, the energy coming from the sun, and heat from within the earth itself Picture Quote #1

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If an economy is to sustain progress, it must satisfy the basic principles of ecology. If it does not, it will decline and eventually collapse. There is no middle ground Picture Quote #1

Rising oil prices have focused the world’s attention on the depletion of oil reserves. But the depletion of underground water resources from overpumping is a far more serious issue. Excessive pumping for irrigation to satisfy food needs today almost guarantees a decline in food production tomorrow Picture Quote #1

Among the environmental trends undermining our future are shrinking forests, expanding deserts, falling water tables, collapsing fisheries, disappearing species, and rising temperatures. The temperature increases bring crop-withering heat waves, more-destructive storms, more-intense droughts, more forest fires, and, of course, ice melting. We are crossing natural thresholds that we cannot see and violating deadlines that we do not recognize Picture Quote #1

We are witnessing the beginning of one of the great tragedies of history. The United States, in a misguided effort to reduce its oil insecurity by converting grain into fuel for cars, is generating global food insecurity on a scale never seen before Picture Quote #1

In Mexico City, Tehran, Kolkata, Bangkok, Shanghai, and hundreds of other cities, the air is no longer safe to breathe. In some cities, the air is so polluted that breathing is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes per day Picture Quote #1

We can build an economy that does not destroy its natural support systems, a global community where the basic needs of all the Earth’s people are satisfied, and a world that will allow us to think of ourselves as civilized. This is entirely doable Picture Quote #1

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In this era of tightening world food supplies, the ability to grow food is fast becoming a new form of geopolitical leverage. Food is the new oil. Land is the new gold Picture Quote #1

Today, more than ever, we need political leaders who can see the big picture, who understand the relationship between the economy and its environmental support systems Picture Quote #1

One way or another, the choice will be made by our generation, but it will affect life on earth for all generations to come Picture Quote #1

The 20th century was the time when the world turned to use of fossil fuels and the 21st century will be the century of the renewables Picture Quote #1

Socialism failed because it couldn’t tell the economic truth. Capitalism may fail because it couldn’t tell the ecological truth Picture Quote #1

No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours Picture Quote #1

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Text Quotes

It takes 1,000 tons of water to produce 1 ton of grain. As water becomes scarce and countries are forced to divert irrigation water to cities and industry, they will import more grain. As they do so, water scarcity will be transmitted across national borders via the grain trade. Aquifer depletion is a largely invisible threat, but that does not make it any less real (Lester R Brown Quotes) Humanity’s greatest challenge may soon be just making it to the next harvest (Lester R Brown Quotes) The 20th century was the time when the world turned to use of fossil fuels and the 21st century will be the century of the renewables. (Lester R Brown Quotes) Nuclear power, once regarded as petroleum’s natural heir, has become less and less attractive as its numerous drawbacks come to light. Coal, the other fossil fuel, is ultimately as exhaustible as oil. (Lester R Brown Quotes) Global food insecurity is increasing...the slim excess of growth in food production over population is narrowing. (Lester R Brown Quotes) In today’s integrated world economy, ... eradicating poverty may contribute as much to U.S. security as eradicating terrorism. (Lester R Brown Quotes) Socialism failed because it couldn’t tell the economic truth. Capitalism may fail because it couldn’t tell the ecological truth. (Lester R Brown Quotes) Children whose developing lungs are particularly vulnerable suffer the most from air pollution. For children, breathing the air in cities with the worst pollution, such as Beijing, Calcutta, Mexico City, Shanghai, and Tehran, is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day (Lester R Brown Quotes) Each summer, for example, nitrogen and phosphate washing from farmlands in the Mississippi Valley enter the Gulf of Mexico, creating a massive algal bloom covering some 16,000 square kilometers. As the blooms die off, this area-roughly the size of New Jersey-is so deprived of oxygen that no fish survive (Lester R Brown Quotes) We know what we have to do. And we know how to do it. If we fail to convert our self-destructing economy into one that is environmentally sustainable, future generations will be overwhelmed by environmental degradation and social disintegration. Simply stated, if our generation does not turn things around, our children may not have the option of doing so (Lester R Brown Quotes) Our early 21st century civilization is in trouble. We need not go beyond the world food economy to see this. Over the last few decades we have created a food production bubble-one based on environmental trends that cannot be sustained, including overpumping aquifers, overplowing land, and overloading the atmosphere with carbon dioxide (Lester R Brown Quotes) The transition from coal, oil, and gas to wind, solar, and geothermal energy is well under way. In the old economy, energy was produced by burning something -- oil, coal, or natural gas -- leading to the carbon emissions that have come to define our economy. The new energy economy harnesses the energy in wind, the energy coming from the sun, and heat from within the earth itself (Lester R Brown Quotes) If an economy is to sustain progress, it must satisfy the basic principles of ecology. If it does not, it will decline and eventually collapse. There is no middle ground (Lester R Brown Quotes) Rising oil prices have focused the world’s attention on the depletion of oil reserves. But the depletion of underground water resources from overpumping is a far more serious issue. Excessive pumping for irrigation to satisfy food needs today almost guarantees a decline in food production tomorrow (Lester R Brown Quotes) Among the environmental trends undermining our future are shrinking forests, expanding deserts, falling water tables, collapsing fisheries, disappearing species, and rising temperatures. The temperature increases bring crop-withering heat waves, more-destructive storms, more-intense droughts, more forest fires, and, of course, ice melting. We are crossing natural thresholds that we cannot see and violating deadlines that we do not recognize (Lester R Brown Quotes) We are witnessing the beginning of one of the great tragedies of history. The United States, in a misguided effort to reduce its oil insecurity by converting grain into fuel for cars, is generating global food insecurity on a scale never seen before (Lester R Brown Quotes) In Mexico City, Tehran, Kolkata, Bangkok, Shanghai, and hundreds of other cities, the air is no longer safe to breathe. In some cities, the air is so polluted that breathing is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes per day (Lester R Brown Quotes) We can build an economy that does not destroy its natural support systems, a global community where the basic needs of all the Earth’s people are satisfied, and a world that will allow us to think of ourselves as civilized. This is entirely doable (Lester R Brown Quotes) In this era of tightening world food supplies, the ability to grow food is fast becoming a new form of geopolitical leverage. Food is the new oil. Land is the new gold (Lester R Brown Quotes) Today, more than ever, we need political leaders who can see the big picture, who understand the relationship between the economy and its environmental support systems (Lester R Brown Quotes) One way or another, the choice will be made by our generation, but it will affect life on earth for all generations to come (Lester R Brown Quotes) The 20th century was the time when the world turned to use of fossil fuels and the 21st century will be the century of the renewables (Lester R Brown Quotes) Socialism failed because it couldn’t tell the economic truth. Capitalism may fail because it couldn’t tell the ecological truth (Lester R Brown Quotes) No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours (Lester R Brown Quotes)