Lester Brown's "Plan B" - Civilization Collapse directly linked to Food Production

Who Will Feed China.
 (Update...see entire movie below)

In a chilling documentary aired on PBS last night (3/30/11), actor Matt Damon (Goodwill Hunting) narrates the introduction to Lester Brown and his recent world tour that outlines Brown's "Plan B".  Brown's tour includes stops across the globe introducing powerful heads of state to the concept and historical thesis that the "failed state" civilization collapse are tied directly to food scarcity. 

The film opens with Brown explaining the domino effect of global warming and the direct impact to the Tibetan Plan "drying out", causing catastrophic disruption to the major rivers in Asia that are the lifeblood to the world's densest populations.  If these rivers are depleted, the impact to food production will be catastrophic and will lead to starvation globally.

Brown dives into population statistics to make his point clear.  The explosion in Asian population and the increase in purchasing power of those people moving up the "food chain" will strain the world's food supply and a tipping point will be reached.  Not only does the population increase strain the supply, but the recent conversion of grain into fuel (ethanol) adds to the pressure. 1/4 of the US grain production is used for our automobiles. 

There are things we can do to stop or reverse the trend towards the tipping point...thus the "Plan B", but Brown's plan is ambitious and here in the US I wonder if people are paying attention?  I recommend a search on YouTube for Lester Brown and is various lectures...the rabbit hole is deep and frightening.  There are sceptics, however Brown's logic is clear.  Here is the trailer for the film.  Pass it on:

Watch the full episode. See more Journey to Planet Earth.

Watch the full episode. See more Journey to Planet Earth.