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Articles by Lester Brown

Lester R. Brown is founder and president of Earth Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Follow EPI: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn

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  • Lowering income taxes while raising pollution taxes reaps great returns

    As economic decisionmakers—whether consumers, corporate planners, government policymakers, or investment bankers—we all depend on the market for guidance. In order for markets to work and economic actors to make sound decisions, the markets must give us good information, including the full cost of the products we buy. Unfortunately, markets largely ignore the indirect costs of […]

  • Wind Power Soared Past 150,000 Megawatts in 2009

    This piece was written by my colleague J. Matthew Roney at the Earth Policy Institute. Even in the face of a worldwide economic downturn, the global wind industry posted another record year in 2009 as cumulative installed wind power capacity grew to 158,000 megawatts. With this 31 percent jump, the global wind fleet is now […]

  • Earth Out of Sync – Rising Temperatures Throwing off Seasonal Timing

    This piece was written by my colleague Janet Larsen at the Earth Policy Institute. A newly hatched chick waits with hungry mouth agape for a parent to deliver its first meal. A crocus peaks up through the snow. Rivers flow swiftly as ice breaks up and snows melt. Sleepy mammals emerge from hibernation, and early […]

  • Zero-Carbon Buildings

    The building sector is responsible for a large share of world electricity consumption and raw materials use. In the United States, buildings—commercial and residential—account for 72 percent of electricity use and 38 percent of CO2 emissions. Worldwide, building construction accounts for 40 percent of materials use. Because buildings last for 50–100 years or longer, it […]