So, more about Plan B. The full title being Plan B: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. You can see where this is going, can’t you?

So far my jaw has dropped numerous times, and I had previously considered myself fairly knowledgeable about environmental issues. But this book touches on far more than simple environmental problems to social and political and cultural problems that are forcing a showdown between mother nature and us puny mortals. That there won’t be water if we keep using it like this, that due to agricultural overuse we’re losing valuable soil and some areas are even turning arid and desert-like, especially in places like north western China. He’s talking about how this is going to impact exports and imports in the face of the trade surpluses many countries hold over the US, including China.

Oh man.

It’s just so...eye opening yet depressing.

I just can’t believe there are people out there who believe that we’re not overstripping supply of natural resources with our gluttonous demands. When the Health Department people tell me “it’s hard to find wells (in the township we’re moving to)” I’m wondering why people don’t understand it’s the falling water tables. I’m wondering how many people think like my mom who say “look at all the blue places on the globe…there’s a lot of water” not understanding that’s salt water and totally not useable. And even if it were made useable, look where it is! How would it irrigate your garden, how would it come out of your tap? At what cost? I tell my mom this and she says “they can figure out how to do it”. My god. Who are “they”? This blind faith in the establishment is terrifying. Especially from my mother who is normally pretty self sufficient.

I’m glad my family is looking at alternatives, but there comes a point where these problems will even affect the most self sufficient of us. Lester Brown is right in that we need wide spread political and cultural changes in order to reverse this slippery slope.

It’s scary. I’m off to read more…