Children whose developing lungs are particularly vulnerable suffer the most from air pollution. For children, breathing the air in cities with the worst pollution, such as Beijing, Calcutta, Mexico City, Shanghai, and Tehran, is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

Nuclear power, once regarded as petroleum's natural heir, has become less and less attractive as its numerous drawbacks come to light. Coal, the other fossil fuel, is ultimately as exhaustible as oil.

The 20th century was the time when the world turned to use of fossil fuels and the 21st century will be the century of the renewables.

Farmers...can no longer keep up with rising demand; thus the outlook is for chronic scarcities and rising prices.

Today, more than ever, we need political leaders who can see the big picture, who understand the relationship between the economy and its environmental support systems.

No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.

A sustainable economy represents nothing less than a higher social order one as concerned with future generations as with our own, and more focused on the health of the planet and the poor than on material acquisitions and military might. While it is a fundamentally new endeavor, with many uncertainties, it is far less risky than continuing with business as usual.