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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

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Lester R. Brown
Age: 90
Born: 1934
Born: March 28
Agronomist
Environmentalist
Farmer
Naturalist
Writer
Bridgeton
New Jersey
Lester Brown
Lester R. Brown
Lester Russel Brown
Food
Oil
Converting
Seen
Scales
Tragedies
Effort
Fuel
Misguided
United
Global
Reduce
History
Tragedy
Insecurity
Car
Grain
States
Beginning
Cars
Generating
Great
Environment
Scale
Witnessing
Never

More quotes by Lester R. Brown

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They have also been adopting fuel efficiency standards for automobiles in China.
Lester R. Brown
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The throwaway economy that has been evolving over the last half-century is an aberration, now itself headed for the junk heap of history.
Lester R. Brown
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The foundation is being laid for the emergence of both wind and solar cells as cornerstones of the new energy economy.
Lester R. Brown
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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.
Lester R. Brown
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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
Lester R. Brown
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Global food insecurity is increasing...the slim excess of growth in food production over population is narrowing.
Lester R. Brown
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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
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Yet, most of the readily accessible reserves of oil formed over hundreds of millions of years will be consumed within a single generation, spanning the years from 1960 to 1995.
Lester R. Brown
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Farmers...can no longer keep up with rising demand thus the outlook is for chronic scarcities and rising prices.
Lester R. Brown
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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, and countries are scrambling to secure their own parochial interests at the expense of the common good.
Lester R. Brown
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In today's integrated world economy, ... eradicating poverty may contribute as much to U.S. security as eradicating terrorism.
Lester R. Brown
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The challenge is either to build an economy that is sustainable or to stay with our unsustainable economy until it declines. It is not a goal that can be compromised. 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
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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
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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
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Population growth is exceeding farmers' ability to keep up...Our oldest enemy, hunger, is again at the door.
Lester R. Brown
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No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.
Lester R. Brown
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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
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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
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Humanity's greatest challenge may soon be just making it to the next harvest.
Lester R. Brown