The Earth Policy Reader

Award-winning environmental analyst Lester R. Brown and his colleagues chart progress in building the eco-economy, an economy that is compatible with the earth's ecosystem.

Brown explains, for example, why wind-generated electricity with its abundance and falling cost is emerging as the foundation of the new post-fossil fuel energy economy: now cheaper than electricity from coal, oil, or natural gas, it can be used to electrolyze water and produce hydrogen, the fuel of choice for the new fuel cell engines that every major automobile manufacturer is working on. And since an eco-economy relies heavily on recycling materials already in the system, such as steel and aluminum, we learn how, in this new economy, recycling industries will largely replace mining industries. Bringing together in one volume the essential Eco-Economy Updates that are distributed worldwide over the Internet and published in the world's leading newspapers, The Earth Policy Reader monitors the shift from the old economy to the new.

Lester R. Brown is the founder of the Earth Policy and Worldwatch Institutes. He has been honored with numerous prizes, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the United Nations Environment Prize, and twenty-five honorary degrees. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Janet Larsen is an author and the director of research for Earth Policy Institute. She has written on topics ranging from natural resources availability to population growth and climate change. Prior to the creation of Earth Policy Institute, Janet worked at Worldwatch Institute, providing research support for State of the World and contributing to Vital Signs.

Bernie Fischlowitz-Roberts is a research assistant in natural resources and environmental science for the Center for Sustainable Systems. He lives in Michigan.

Earth Policy Institute was founded in 2001 by Lester Brown with the goal of designing global sustainability plans. The EPI has so far published seven books along with shorter publications such as the Plan B Updates series.