Lester Russell Brown (born March 28, 1934) is an American environmental analyst. He founded the Worldwatch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C. BBC Radio commentator Peter Day called him "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 moving from fossil and nuclear energy to clean power from solar, wind, and other renewable sources. His earlier book was Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity (2012).

Brown highlights the effects of rising grain prices on global stability, stating that food crises in poor countries could threaten global peace. In Foreign Policy magazine, he described how 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 overfishing, deforestation, and desertification. In 1986, the Library of Congress requested his personal papers, noting that his work had greatly influenced thinking about population and resource issues. President Bill Clinton once said people should listen to his advice. In 2003, Brown signed the Humanist Manifesto.

In the mid-1970s, Brown helped develop the idea of sustainable development, a concept he introduced during a career that began with 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 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 appointed an honorary professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Brown 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, including those about America’s founding fathers and other important people like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Marie Curie. From a young age, he worked on the farm, helping with tasks such as milking cows, pulling weeds, and cleaning the stable. He was clever and hardworking, and he involved his younger brother, Carl, in different businesses, like raising pheasants and chickens to sell. In 1951, they started a tomato-growing business, which later became one of New Jersey’s largest, selling over 1,520,000 pounds (690,000 kg) of tomatoes each year. He later said, “Farming is all I ever wanted to do with all my life. You have to know soils, weather, plant pathology, entomology, management, even politics. It’s the ideal interdisciplinary profession.”

Education

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

Brown decided to address global food issues by working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). He discovered that to be hired, he needed a degree in agricultural economics. He spent nine months earning a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Maryland and joined FAS in 1959 as an international agricultural analyst in the Asia branch. A year later, he took a nine-month leave to earn 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, he published Man, Land and Food, the first detailed report on world food, population, and land resources through the end of the century. The study was featured as a cover story in the January 6, 1963, issue of U.S. News & World Report, where it caught the attention of Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman. Freeman praised Brown’s analysis and offered him a job, saying, "You sketched the problems. Now you have to do something about them." Brown was made the resident specialist on global issues, advising the secretary of agriculture on overseas agricultural policies. He also led USDA’s International Agricultural Development Service from 1966 to 1969. His main task was to "increase food production in underdeveloped countries."

In early 1969, he left government work to help create the Overseas Development Council. He also supported the Green Revolution, which aimed to use improved seeds and farming methods to reduce global poverty and hunger. Brown believed this technological progress was "the most crucial historical event since the steam engine." However, over time, he realized that rapid population growth in underdeveloped countries was making it harder to keep up with increased food production.

Career as environmental activist

In 1974, with help from a $500,000 grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Brown started the Worldwatch Institute, the first research group focused on studying global environmental problems. At the institute, he created 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, "he hired young people who had just finished college and were full of ideas. They were expected to be 'professional generalists,' meaning they knew a lot about many subjects, not just one area with advanced training."

The institute became well-known as an independent and respected think tank that studied environmental issues and kept a large collection of environmental information. Its goal was to teach the public and government about environmental problems and suggest solutions. The institute refused to become a lobbying group, with Brown saying, "the world has many experts who study small parts of problems, but few who bring all the pieces together. That is our job." Because of this, he 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 talked about two major environmental problems: population growth and the decline of the global environment, which he linked to economic activities that harm the planet. He believed nuclear power had problems with cost, safety, waste storage, and the risk of spreading technology, so he supported solar energy as the only long-term solution. "We have a chance as a generation to create an economic system that can last as long as the sun. No one before us had this chance. It is an exciting challenge; it can be done."

In 2001, he left the Worldwatch Institute to start the Earth Policy Institute, which aimed to create a plan to save civilization. His work on global issues from many different areas helped him see trends others might miss and find global solutions to today’s environmental problems. Some of his important books written at the institute include 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), written with Janet Larsen, J. Matthew Roney, and Emily E. Adams.

On June 30, 2015, he officially retired and closed the Earth Policy Institute. The Worldwatch Institute was closed around 2017. His legacy lives on through a Lester R. Brown Reading Room at Rutgers University, where his books, translations, honorary degrees, and awards are kept. His electronic collection of speeches, radio and TV interviews, and documentaries will be added to the Rutgers University library. Rutgers also hosts the Earth Policy Institute’s website to keep its information available.

The Library of Congress 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 speaking at Catawba College, the college newspaper called him an "environmental Paul Revere" because he warned his audience that "unless civilization changes its ways, its end is truly near." He explained that there is a race between natural and political turning points, and that "what we need most of all 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 said that hidden costs are shaping our future and that ignoring them is like Enron, a company that failed after hiding major costs. He warned that spending today without thinking about tomorrow is not a good plan. He also spoke about rapid population growth, deforestation, and rising food and oil prices. He said, "As oil prices go up, grain prices will follow."

In 2001, Brown proposed a "tax shifting" plan that would lower income taxes and increase taxes on activities that harm the environment, 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 generation, pesticide use, and the use of throwaway products like plastic bottles. He said hiding these costs, like Enron did, risks similar consequences for society.

Brown later said that this tax shift would create an "honest market" by ensuring the economy tells 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, Brown shared ways to create new jobs through public investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency technology. He included statistics about job growth and the number of jobs that could be created.

Books (selection)

Lester Brown has written or co-written more than 50 books. These books have been translated into about 40 languages. Some of his earlier books include 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 needs, leading to many meetings and discussions.

In May 2001, he started 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 was called an "instant classic" by E.O. Wilson. In 2009, he wrote Plan B 4.0, and in 2011, World on the Edge. In 2012, he published Full Planet, Empty Plates.

In Who Will Feed China?, published in 1995, Brown explains the pressure on global resources as more countries, especially China, become more developed. He writes, "To feed its 1.2 billion people, China may soon need to import so much grain that this could cause very high increases in world food prices."

In February 2014, he updated this prediction, stating that China had become a major importer of grain, "buying 22 million tons" in the 2013–2014 year and increasing its grain use by 17 million tons each year.

In Full Planet, Empty Plates, published in 2004, Brown describes how human needs are exceeding Earth’s natural limits and how this harms food production worldwide. He explains that lower crop production is caused by global warming, water shortages, less farmland in developing countries like China, and population growth, which adds 76 million people to the world each year.

In World on the Edge, published in 2011, Brown continues the ideas from his earlier books. He urges world leaders to act quickly to save civilization, emphasizing that time is very limited.

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

In the fall of 2013, Brown published his autobiography, Breaking New Ground. In it, he describes key events in his life that led him to create the first research institute focused on studying global environmental issues. David Orr said, "This is the life story of a true American hero… Lester Brown is in a class by himself." David Suzuki said, "Lester Brown is one of humanity’s great eco-warriors… Breaking New Ground shows what one person can achieve."

The book also discusses the fast growth of a global energy revolution using renewable sources. Countries are replacing coal and nuclear power with renewable energy. Solar energy, once used only for small homes, now powers large projects worldwide. Some wind farms produce as much electricity as several nuclear plants. In countries like China, new transportation systems use electricity, and more people ride bicycles for short trips.

Awards and recognition

Lester Brown has received many awards and honors, including 25 honorary degrees, and holds the honorary professor title at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

• 1965: Superior Service Award, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• 1965: Arthur S. Flemming Award
• 1981: A.H. Boerma Award, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
• 1982: Leadership Medal, U.N. Environmental Program
• 1985: Lorax Award, Global Tomorrow Coalition
• 1989: World Wildlife Fund for Nature – International
• 1987: U.N. 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, 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: Listed as one of the top 100 global thinkers, Foreign Policy magazine
• 2011: Listed as one of the top 100 global thinkers, 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, Ministry of Culture, Iran, for Full House
• Best Nonfiction Book Award, Peka Institute, Iran, for Eco-Economy
• National Library of China Book Award for Plan B (Chinese edition)