Plan B Chp. 3

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In chapter 3 of Plan B, Brown discusses the waterfall effect of the increasing climate change on many different areas. He discusses how it effects the earth, our cities, our food supply and more. Climate change is becoming a huge problem. Brown begins the chapter by stating that ever since civilization began, each generation has left the next a planet similar to the one it inherited and ours is the first to break that tradition (Brown 55). Brown makes a very true statement here. There is no doubt that our generation uses, takes, and wastes more resources that it should. We are all about convenience and wanting the fastest results possible. More development. More profit. That is simply how most of our generation thinks.

 

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Brown gives the fact that we have had 25 of the warmest years in record history since 1980 (Brown 56). The climate change recently has become rapid and it is scary to think what will happen if it continues at this rate. The increasingly warm weather is causing ice and snow in mountain ranges to melt a lot faster and sooner. Brown makes a valid point in saying that we have taken the water storage from mountain ranges for granted simply because they have always been there, but as the earth gets warmer, these reservoirs are depleting (Brown 69). This water gives natural irrigation that many farming areas rely on. Without this natural flow of water, we would be in great trouble.

 

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It is obvious that we have many challenges that have arisen concerning the environment. However, Brown comes off too strong in some areas of the text for me. The challenges we face are stabilize climate, stabilize population, eradicate poverty, and restore the earth’s natural systems (Brown 75). According to Brown, we have to “effectively respond to each of them at the same time” because of their mutual independence (Brown 75). I believe that is far too reaching of a task for us to accomplish. When you ask for too much, a lot of the time you do not get anything resolved. It is much better to go about things in little steps so that it is not overwhelming. In addition, some things, such as restoring earth’s natural system is impossible. We can never get the systems back to how they were naturally at this point.

 

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Another area that Brown is unrealistic in his Plan B goal to replace all coal-fired power plants with wind farms by 2020. I know this book is outdated and it is obvious we are nowhere close to achieving this. However, even so, I do not think we can realistically get all the power to sustain today’s way of life with wind farms. We cannot rely on wind to power every our needs because it is a part of nature and nature is unpredictable. In addition, I think we just have way too much to power in today’s society to switch to relying on wind farms. He makes other unrealistic goals as well. In general, I just do not think he realizes society today is not able to make such drastic changes when they do not really see the threat since it is far in the future.