Pop!Tech 2006: Dangerous Ideas

Lester Brown, preeminent environmentalist and former leader of WorldWatch Institute, took issue with Friedman's assertion that market forces could be a motor behind the solution.

He claimed that, in the past, capitalism proved socialism to be false. Today the environment and an environmental mindset are proving capitalism to be false, an untenable and unacceptable excuse for destruction: "The amount of corn needed to make enough ethanol to fill the 25 gallon tank of one SUV could feed a person for a year."

Lester was the founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and president during its first 26 years. During a career that started with tomato farming, he has authored or coauthored many books and been awarded 23 honorary degrees. One of the world’s most widely published authors, his books have appeared in more than 40 languages.

His most recent book is Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble.