Wednesday, May 01, 2013

The Institute’s most intrepid researcher, Lester Brown, has been quietly making a splash speaking at select events in the DC area over the past few months on the findings in his recent book, Full Planet, Empty Plates.

In December, he spoke at a Chesapeake Climate Action Network conference in Baltimore that was focused on the problem of fracking.

He also received the Planet and Humanity Medal from the International Geographical Union presented by Ron Abler. The medal is for his “early, incisive, and tireless advocacy of measures to promote public and policy maker awareness of global ecological issues via trenchant publications and public presentations.”

In January, Ira Flatow, host of NPR’s Science Friday, interviewed Lester on Full Planet, Empty Plates, getting to the heart of Lester’s history with this issue. January also saw Lester speaking at the Women’s National Democratic Club on the new geopolitics of food scarcity and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. He took time out to trip the “light fantastic” at the Green Inaugural Ball (even though he never made it to the dance floor!)

In April, he gave two luncheon addresses, the first for the National Food Policy conference hosted by the Consumer Federation of America. “It was the perfect luncheon address – thought provoking, entertaining and tied into a number of our other panel discussions throughout the day. Multiple attendees came up to me over the course of the two days to say how impressed they were with his speech,” said Chris Waldrop, Director of The Food Policy Institute.

The second address was for the agricultural committee of the Organization of Women in International Trade . He talked about how the world is now in transition from an era of food abundance and surpluses to an era of chronic scarcity. As food prices climb, the worldwide competition for control of land and water resources is intensifying. “In this new world,” he said, “access to food is replacing access to oil as an overriding concern of governments. Food is the new oil, land is the new gold.”

Chapter 1 of Full Planet, Empty Plates is now available on our website and over the next several weeks we will be releasing the rest of the book in installments. Look for a new chapter about every other week and sign up for our email list to receive them directly. Supporting data, video, and slideshows are also available for free download and check our Events page for Lester's future speaking engagements.

Best,

Julianne