A Plan B for the World

As humans, we are our own greatest predator.

The world’s population is growing.

80 million people are added each year.

215 million women around the globe have no access to birth control. Anthropologists who live among these women say, “they live in fear of their next pregnancy.”

Resources are shrinking.

Soil erosion, deforestation, and factory farms are turning the world’s grasslands and forests into deserts.

The cost of food world wide tripled in 2007 and 2008.

Water levels are decreasing.

Global warming as well as poor farming methods are depleting levels of water around the globe.

We’re riding of the rails of a crazy train and the conductor is pressing his foot to the accelerator.

With an exploding population

Mounting poverty world wide

Decreases in the available food and water world wide,

Damage to the world that sustains us

The future outlook is not good

We need a plan B for the world!

A Four Part, Plan B for the World

Lester Brown’s Plan B, from his book, World on the Edge

Spirit of the air, ancient one of the east, give me the knowledge, to purify my world

Spirit of the flame, ancient one of the south, give me power over my own body, and my own sexuality 

Spirit of water, ancient one of the west, let your dream flow free, like the torrents of a river

Spirit of the earth, ancient one of north, let me learn from your forests, how to live with your creatures

1. A massive cut in carbon emissions in the air by 2020

We can shift away from burning fossil fuels by tapping the Earth’s wealth of wind, solar, and geothermal energy.

This transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy can be driven primarily by tax restructuring: steadily lowering income taxes to offset this reduction with a rise on Carbon Emission taxes.

2. Stabilize the world’s population to no more than 8 million by 2012

Provide women around the world with the basics of family planning and contraception

3. Eradicate poverty

Provide primary education for ALL boys and girls around the world.

4. The reforestation of forests, soil, aquifers, and fisheries

Recycle water

Ban deforestation

Establish more efficient irrigation systems

Arrest the fall in water tables by raising water productivity

It’s not impossible!

Doing all these things would cost a mere 200 billion, an eighth of the current world military spending.