Lester Russell Brown was born on March 28, 1934. He is an American environmental analyst and the founder of the Worldwatch Institute. He also started and led the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C. Peter Day, a BBC Radio commentator, called Brown "one of the great pioneer environmentalists."

Brown has written or co-written more than 50 books about global environmental issues. His books have been translated into over 40 languages. His most recent book, The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy (2015), explains how the global economy is changing from using fossil and nuclear energy to using clean energy from the sun, wind, and other renewable sources. His earlier book was Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (2012).

Brown focuses on how rising grain prices affect international politics. He says that food shortages in poor countries are a major threat to global stability and could cause serious problems. In Foreign Policy magazine, he wrote that the "new geopolitics of food" began influencing events in many countries in 2011.

Brown has received 26 honorary degrees and a MacArthur Fellowship. The Washington Post called him "one of the world's most influential thinkers." In his 1978 book, The Twenty-Ninth Day, he warned about dangers from how humans misuse nature, such as overfishing, cutting down forests, and turning land into deserts. In 1986, the Library of Congress asked for his personal papers because his work has greatly influenced thinking about global population and resource issues. President Bill Clinton once said people should listen to Brown's advice. In 2003, Brown signed the Humanist Manifesto.

In the mid-1970s, Brown helped develop the idea of sustainable development, which began with his work in farming. He has received many awards, including the 1987 United Nations Environment Prize, the 1989 World Wide Fund for Nature Gold Medal, and the 1994 Blue Planet Prize for his work on solving global environmental problems. In 1995, Marquis Who's Who named him one of its "50 Great Americans." He recently received the Presidential Medal of Italy and was named an honorary professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He lives in Washington, D.C., and retired in June 2015.

Early life

Brown was born and raised on a farm in Bridgeton, New Jersey, near the Delaware River. The farm did not have running water or electricity. He learned to read at a young age and loved reading books. He was very interested in World War II and would borrow old newspapers from a nearby farm to follow the news. He especially enjoyed reading biographies about important people, such as America's founding fathers, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Marie Curie. From an early age, he helped work on the farm by milking cows, pulling weeds, and cleaning the stable. He was clever and hardworking, and he involved his younger brother, Carl, in business ideas, such as raising pheasants and chickens to sell. In 1951, they started a tomato-growing business that grew to become one of New Jersey's largest, selling over 1,520,000 pounds (690,000 kg) of tomatoes each year. Later, he said, "Farming is all I ever wanted to do with my life. You have to know about soils, weather, plant diseases, insects, management, and even politics. It's the ideal job that uses many areas of knowledge."

Education

After receiving a degree in agricultural science from Rutgers University in 1955, he participated in the International Farm Youth Exchange Program. This program sent him to live in rural India for six months. During this time, he learned a lot about food and population challenges. His biographer, David De Leon, wrote, "His time in Indian villages changed his life. Although he returned to growing tomatoes in the United States, this work no longer felt exciting to him."

To address global food problems, Brown decided to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). He discovered that he needed a degree in agricultural economics to be hired. Brown earned a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Maryland in nine months. In 1959, he joined FAS as an international agricultural analyst in the Asia branch. A year later, he took a nine-month leave to complete a master of public administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration, which later became the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

In 1963, four years after joining FAS, Brown published Man, Land and Food, the first detailed plan about world food, population, and land resources for the rest of the century. The book was featured in the January 6, 1963, issue of U.S. News & World Report. This caught the attention of Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, who admired Brown’s bold analysis. Freeman offered him a job on his staff, saying, "You sketched the problems. Now you have to do something about them." Brown became the expert on global issues for the secretary of agriculture and advised on overseas agricultural policies. From 1966 to 1969, he led USDA’s International Agricultural Development Service, with the main goal of "increasing food production in underdeveloped countries."

In early 1969, Brown left government work to help create the Overseas Development Council. He also supported the Green Revolution, which aimed to use better seeds and farming methods to reduce global poverty and hunger. Brown believed this technology was "the most crucial historical event since the steam engine." However, in later years, he realized that rapid population growth in developing countries was making it difficult to keep up with increases in food production.

Career as environmental activist

In 1974, with a $500,000 grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Brown started the Worldwatch Institute, the first research group focused on studying global environmental issues. At the institute, he created several projects, including the Worldwatch Papers, the annual State of the World reports, World Watch magazine, a second annual report called Vital Signs: The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future, and the Environmental Alert book series. According to De Leon, Brown hired young people who had just finished college. These employees were expected to be "professional generalists," meaning they had broad knowledge rather than deep expertise in one subject.

The institute became well-known for being an independent and respected think tank that studied environmental issues and collected a large amount of environmental information. Its goal was to teach the public and government about environmental problems and suggest solutions. The institute did not become a lobbying group, as Brown explained, "the world is filled with specialists who dig deep burrows into the earth and bring up these nuggets of insight, but there's no one up on top pulling it all together. That's our job." Because of his work, Brown was called "one of the world's most influential thinkers" and received a $250,000 "genius award" from the MacArthur Foundation in 1986.

In 1991, during his speech for the Humanist of the Year award from the American Humanist Association, Brown discussed the challenges of population growth and environmental decline, which he linked to unsustainable economic activity. He believed nuclear power had problems, including cost, safety, waste storage, and the risk of spreading nuclear technology, and argued that solar energy was the only sustainable option for humanity. He said, "We have the opportunity as a generation to build an economic system that can last as long as the sun. None of our forebears had that opportunity. It's an exciting challenge; it's doable."

In 2001, Brown left the Worldwatch Institute to create the Earth Policy Institute, which aimed to provide a plan to save civilization. His work on global issues helped him see trends that others in specialized fields might miss. At the institute, he wrote several important books, including World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse (2011), Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth (2001), and the Plan B series. His most recent book was The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy (2015), co-authored with Janet Larsen, J. Matthew Roney, and Emily E. Adams.

On June 30, 2015, Brown officially retired and closed the Earth Policy Institute. The Worldwatch Institute was closed around 2017. His legacy continues through a Lester R. Brown Reading Room at Rutgers University, his former school. The room will hold his books, translations, honorary degrees, and awards. His electronic materials, including presentations, interviews, and documentaries, will be added to Rutgers University's library system. Rutgers also hosts the Earth Policy Institute's website to keep its information available.

The Library of Congress has received his personal papers from his early years through his career at the United States Department of Agriculture, the Overseas Development Council, the Worldwatch Institute, and the Earth Policy Institute.

"…a small think tank with a knack of spotting new trends…" – Geoffrey Lean, Telegraph

Environmentalist and author

In 2008, after a speech at Catawba College, the college newspaper called him an "environmental Paul Revere" because he warned his audience that if civilization does not change its habits, its future is in danger. He said, "We are racing between natural tipping points and political tipping points. What we need most is for the market to tell the environmental truth." He asked, "How much are we willing to spend to avoid a 23-foot rise in sea level?" He explained that hidden costs are shaping the future and that ignoring these costs is similar to what Enron did—hiding expenses from records. He said, "Consuming today without thinking about tomorrow is not a good plan." He discussed rapid population growth, deforestation, and two new challenges: rising food and oil prices. He noted, "As oil prices increase, grain prices will also rise."

In 2001, he proposed a "tax shifting" plan that would lower income taxes and replace them with taxes on harmful activities, such as carbon emissions. He said this would create an "honest market" by adding a tax on carbon to cover the hidden costs of climate change. This plan would also include taxes on activities like toxic waste, overuse of raw materials, mercury emissions, garbage production, pesticide use, and single-use items like plastic bottles. He argued that hiding these environmental costs, as Enron did, risks similar consequences for society.

Later, he said that this tax shift would create an "honest market" by changing the economy to reflect the truth about the environment. In 2011, he estimated the cost of this plan, including the effects of better technology, renewable energy use, and updating the idea of national security.

In December 2008, he presented ways to create jobs through public investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency technology. He included statistics showing the number of jobs that could be created.

Books (selection)

Brown has written or co-written more than 50 books. These books have been translated into about 40 languages. Among his earlier works are Man, Land and Food, World Without Borders, and Building a Sustainable Society. His 1995 book, Who Will Feed China?, questioned the official view about China's future food supply, leading to many discussions and meetings.

In May 2001, he created the Earth Policy Institute to help create a plan for an economy that protects the environment. In November 2001, he published Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, which E.O. Wilson called "an instant classic." In 2009, he published Plan B 4.0. In 2011, he published World on the Edge. In 2012, he published Full Planet, Empty Plates.

In this 1995 book, Brown discusses the pressure on world resources as more countries, especially China, become developed. He wrote, "To feed its 1.2 billion people, China may soon have to import so much grain that this could cause record-high prices worldwide."

In February 2014, he updated this prediction, noting that China had become a top grain importer, expecting to buy 22 million tons in the 2013-2014 season, with grain use increasing by 17 million tons each year.

This 2004 book explains how human needs are exceeding Earth's natural limits, causing environmental harm that affects food production worldwide. It documents that crop production is decreasing due to global warming, water shortages, less farmland in developing countries like China, and population growth, which adds 76 million people to the world each year.

The 2009 book continues themes from his earlier works, urging world leaders to act quickly to save civilization, emphasizing that time is running out.

At California State University, Chico, Plan B is required reading for all new freshmen. The university uses it in many courses, including History, English, Philosophy, Communications, Political Science, and Social Science.

In the fall of 2013, Brown wrote his autobiography, *Breaking New

Awards and recognition

Lester Brown has received many prizes and awards, including 25 honorary degrees, and is an honorary professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

• 1965 Superior Service Award, United States Department of Agriculture
• 1965 Arthur S. Flemming Award
• 1981 A.H. Boerma Award, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
• 1982 UN Environmental Program Leadership Medal
• 1985 Lorax Award of the Global Tomorrow Coalition
• 1989 World Wildlife Fund for Nature – International
• 1987 UN Environmental Prize
• 1991 Laurea Honoris Causa (HC degree) in Agricultural Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy
• 1991 A. Bizzozero Award, University of Parma
• 1991 Humanist of the Year Award, American Humanist Association
• 1991 Pro Mundo Habitabili Award, King Carl Gustaf XVI, Sweden
• 1991 Delphi International Cooperation Award
• 1992 Cervia Ambiente Prize, Italy
• 1992 Robert Rodale Lecture Award
• 1993 Certificate of Special Recognition from the Association of American Geographers
• 1994 Blue Planet Prize, Asahi Glass Foundation
• 1994 J. Sterling Morton Arbor Day Award
• 1995 Public Service Award, Federation of American Scientists
• 1995 Rachel Carson Environmental Achievement Award
• 2000 Bruno H. Schubert Foundation Environment Award
• 2001 Natural Business Leadership Award
• 2002 Excellence Advantage Award, International Fund for China's Environment
• 2002 Italian Presidential Medal
• 2003 George and Greta Borgstrom Prize, Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
• 2005 Claire Matzger Lilienthal Distinguished Lecture Award, California Academy of Science
• 2008 Heifer All-Star (Heifer International Annual Award)
• 2009 Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award
• 2010 University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame
• 2010 Hero Award, Alliance for Sustainable Colorado
• 2012 Earth Hall of Fame Kyoto
• 2012 Green Carpet Award for Distinguished Service, Harvard University
• 2012 Planet and Humanity Award, International Geographical Union
• 2013 Green Leadership Award, American Renewable Energy Institute
• 2014 Distinguished Service Award, World Future Society

• 2010 One of top 100 global thinkers, by Foreign Policy magazine
• 2011 One of top 100 global thinkers, by Foreign Policy magazine

• Christopher Award for By Bread Alone
• Ecologia Firenze (Italian literary award) for The Twenty-Ninth Day
• A.H. Boerma Award, FAO, for writings on the world food problem
• Best Translated Book Award, from the Ministry of Culture, Iran, for Full House
• Best Nonfiction Book Award, from the Peka Institute, Iran, for Eco-Economy
• National Library of China book award for Plan B (Chinese edition)