The global demand for food and fresh water continues to rise. But world grain production is down. And we're depleting groundwater at an unsustainable pace. Global temperatures are rising rapidly due to emissions from cars, factories and power plants. "Plan A," maintaining the status quo thru over consumption of resources, is not working. In a science fiction movie, "Plan B" might mean moving to another planet. But in the real world, it means telling the ecological truth in economic and policy decisions. It means faster movement to current sustainable technologies-solutions that are not science fiction but exist right now.

Lester Brown offers a way forward in his book Plan B: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. He is founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC. He's been described as "the guru of the environmental movement" and "one of the world's most influential thinkers".