Building a sustainable society / Lester R. Brown.

New York : Norton, [1981]

xiii, 433 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

This item was donated as part of the Godfrey Boyle archive held by Wellcome Collection, reference PP/GBO https://wellcomecollection.org/works/t5pbagvp

First edition.

"A Worldwatch Institute book."

Copy 1. Donor: Godfrey Boyle.

Eroding the base of civilization. The historical expansion of cropland -- Thinning topsoil -- Spreading deserts : the human hand -- The loss of irrigated land -- Conversion of cropland to nonfarm uses -- The cropland prospect -- Biological systems under pressure. Deforesting the earth -- Deep trouble in oceanic fisheries -- Grasslands for three billion ruminants -- Per capita consumption trends -- Future resource trends -- Oil : the safety valve -- Twilight of the age of oil. The rise of oil -- Our petroleum culture -- The emergence of OPEC -- The decline of oil -- Giving upon nuclear power -- Coal : the stopgap -- Beyond the age of oil -- The changing food prospect. The loss of momentum -- The North American breadbasket -- Growing food insecurity -- Land productivity trends -- Substituting fertilizer for land -- The grain-livestock economy -- The new food-fuel competition -- The food price prospect -- Emerging economic and social stresses. Competing demands -- Rereading Ricardo -- A new source of inflation -- Slower economic growth -- Rising unemployment -- Social stresses -- Population : a stabilization timetable. The existing projections -- The changing backdrop -- A stabilization timetable -- The family planning gap -- Social improvement and fertility -- Incentives for smaller families -- China's one-child family program -- Inflation as a contraceptive force -- A gradual awakening -- Preserving our resource underpinnings. Land-use planning -- Ensuring soil security -- Stabilizing biological systems -- Reforesting the earth -- Preserving the web of life -- Beyond the throwaway society -- Conserving energy -- Renewable energy : turning to the sun. Wood as a fuel -- Energy from waste -- Planting energy crops -- Falling water -- Harnessing the wind -- Tapping the earth's heat -- Rooftops as collectors -- Electricity from sunlight -- Solar architecture -- The renewable energy potential -- The shape of a sustainable society. The changing global energy budget -- A sustainable transportation system -- The resurgence of agriculture -- New industries, new jobs -- The future of urbanization -- Simpler life-styles among the affluent -- Third World reinforcement -- Greater local self-reliance -- From growth to sustainability. The means of transition. Urgency of the transition -- Role of the market -- Financial carrots and sticks -- Change through regulation -- Financing the transition -- Reorienting R & D programs -- The role of leadership -- The institutional challenge. Overcoming vested interests -- The role of corporations -- Religions : an ecological theology -- Universities : getting involved -- Public interest groups -- The communications media -- Changing values and shifting priorities. Values in transition -- Voluntary simplicity -- Conspicuous frugality -- Equity : the two dimensions -- Redefining national security -- A new economic yardstick -- A sense of excitement.

Includes bibliographical references and index.