Plan B
The subtitle of this book is: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. The book describes the environmental state of our planet and our civilization. Obviously, it isn’t a pretty picture. Plan B refers to the plan to save the planet. Currently we are operating on Plan A: business as usual, destroying the planet. Plan B details what we can do to save the planet, hopefully before it is too late.
The major topics covered were water usage, land usage, global warming, and the social division between the poorest and richest nations.
Over the last 50 years, the world’s popluation has doubled and the economy has grown sevenfold. This is putting enormous strain on our natural resources. At the moment we are living in a bubble economy. We are using our renewable resources faster than they can be renewed. One example being the drilling of aquifers to provide water for irrigation to grow food. Eventually, the aquifers will run dry, and we will not be able to grow enough food for the world’s population. We are living on borrowed time with regards to water and food production.
Solutions to these problems include discontinuing the billions of dollars in subsidies on energy produced by fossil fuels and shifting taxes from income to consumption. Focusing on technologies that increase efficiency of water and land usage, such as new irrigation techniques is critical. The most important answer to the world’s problems is population control. We must make family planning a priority. The author claims that this may seem impossible, but it is not. He compares it to the mobilization of WWII. The United States was able to shift from a peace time economy to a war time economy in only a few years. The same thing can be done today, but instead, moving to an economy that is environmentally sustainable.
This is one of the books that I wish everyone would read. I think I may buy a few copies to give as gifts.
