J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy.

And how you can help

This morning, I received a picture of my oldest grandson, Collin Jason Hicks (14), shown here on a downhill ski run at Burke Mountain (Vermont) last weekend. As is the case with all of my seven grandchildren, I often think about what kind of life they will lead in the year 2100. Sadly, unless some capable world-changing leaders step forward soon, their world at the dawn of the next century may not be very hospitable to humans. Collin will turn 99 that year and his baby brother Lucas Jason Hicks (4 months) will turn 85.

Tackling that urgent problem. First, let’s take a look at the big picture when it comes to the most important topic in the history of humankind: the health of our fragile ecosystem that supports our civilization and the sustainability of the human species. Although there has been some progress in parts of the world, the total global numbers for human behavior that damages our ecosystem continues to skyrocket. Here is my top ten list:

1. Global population now stands at 7.4 billion as of today. We have added over four billion people since I was Collin’s age and we continue to add almost one million people every four days.
2. Global consumption of fossil fuels has never been higher. (See chart, notice the three categories of fossil fuels still surging ahead of all the renewables.)
3. In a world of finite natural resources, global consumption of STUFF (made from those resources) has never been higher.
4. The global CO2 level in our atmosphere has never been higher, having passed the 400 ppm level in March of 2015 for the first time. Fossil fuels just pushed CO2 levels to a 3 million year high.
5. Global annual automobile production has never been higher and  is expected to top 100 million in 2016. There were 100 million cars on the world’s roads in 1960. In 2010, we passed the one billion mark. We have 1.2 billion on the road today and are expected to hit 2 billion by 2035.
6. Global airline passenger miles flown continues to skyrocket–from 62 billion in 1960 to  620 billion in 1980 and now over 4 trillion since 2010. (Reported by Dr. Stephen Emmott in TEN BILLION)
7. The rate of species extinction is now running at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate. (Reported by the Center for Biological Diversity)
8. Water scarcity has never been higher as we continue to deplete the underground aquifers that fuel the breadbaskets for over half the world’s population.
9. Over half of our world’s rainforests have been destroyed, primarily for raising animals for us to eat. Experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be destroyed by 2056.
10. Global consumption of animal protein from meat, dairy, eggs and fish has never been higher, quadrupling from 1961 to 2012 (See chart below). Although meat consumption is trending downward in some countries, the global total continues to soar.

This chart is only meat, although consumption of dairy and eggs is also soaring. As for fish, the situation is far worse as it has increased almost 8-fold since 1950. See chart below. FYI, aquaculture is no bargain for the environment either, maybe even worse.

The Bottom Line. The ONLY pragmatic way out of this mess described above is a rapid shift away from animal-based foods by humans. That’s because it’s the ONLY major driver of our most urgent environmental problems that can be quickly reduced or even completely eliminated.

In contrast, even if EVERY scientist and engineer in the world went to work on reducing fossil fuel consumption, they would likely not even make a dent in the steadily rising total–particularly as population continues to grow at over 1.5 million a week. How quickly can “eating animals” be eliminated? Quite simply, the velocity of change is directly related to the quality and quantity of the leadership devoted to the cause. If Barack Obama and Bill Gates both made it their #1 priority, our love affair with eating dead animals could be completely over in less than ten years.

What would Hillary, Trump, Cruz or Bernie do about all of the above? Sadly, none of our global leaders or presidential candidates are taking this big, ugly picture seriously. It seems to be a case of business as usual for the entire globe, with every nation just trying to secure enough food, water and energy to support its people–in the near term. None of them realize the supreme importance of living in harmony with nature–a deadly lesson learned by the Rapa Nui on Easter Island about 500 years ago.

I should add that, in fairness to our nation’s political leaders, they could never get elected if they advocated a plant-based diet. Fortunately, Obama and Gates never have to worry about getting elected.

My game plan for 2016. Here’s how you can help.

In 2016 and beyond, for as long as I may live, I plan to do all that I can to wake up the world’s most prominent leaders before it’s too late. My primary focus is on the ONLY pragmatic solution mentioned above. Here’s how you can help:

1. Find me some audiences where I can share my big-picture view. As it states on my website speaking page, “Many authors speak about promoting health, a handful speak about the environmental impacts of our diet and even fewer speak about a workable solution to our current environmental dilemma that threatens our very existence as a species. J. Morris Hicks may very well be the ONLY author in the world who speaks passionately about all three.” Please take a look at my newly updated Public Speaking page. It may give you some ideas about what kinds of audiences need to hear my message of promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.
2. Introduce me to some business executives who’re interested in slashing their cost of healthcare by 50% or more. The name of the game is profitability improvement when it comes to business. By investing in the health of the workforce and their families, the pioneering organizations will reap extraordinary rewards. Eventually, those companies who don’t promote health (with food-based wellness initiatives) will no longer be able to compete with those who do.
3. Help save lives and promote sustainability by giving our book to people you care about. If you wish to re-sell our book (shown here), contact me directly for a special discount code that you can use when you purchase from Amazon. Email me: jmh@4leafglobal.com
4. Try to get me a meeting (in person or via telephone) with the most influential person that you know. He or she may not be able to change the world, but they might be able to influence someone who can. Just give me a chance to do my best to enlighten them.

The following six books can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

1. 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health, powerful new book by Kerry Graff, MD and yours truly
2. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (my first book)
3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
4. Primary cause of cancer is not bad luck. Stop Feeding Your Cancer, by John Kelly, MD
5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy you are eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes about two minutes. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course.

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf Program website, which is now being used by an ever-growing army of enlightened medical doctors who are fed up with “disease care” and want to promote true health for their patients.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmh@4leafglobal.com

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:

Even the most optimistic experts and analysts are not impressed.

In November of 2013, I concluded that we probably had about 1,000 days left to start making a serious dent in slowing our speed as we race past a number of environmental tipping points, not the least of which is climate change. Well, about 700 of those days are gone and I don’t see anything major happening. Take a look at this video and tell me if you see any progress since the early 90’s when the climate change talks began. As you watch the video, remember that the target is to keep CO2 in the atmosphere below 350 ppm.

This just in: The CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa for the week-beginning Dec. 6, 2015 was 401.31 ppm, compared to 398.93 ppm one year ago and 379.67 ten years ago. Reported by Earth System Research Laboratory.

After the Paris talks, what do you think about our chances of us ever getting below 350 again? I think the path they have chosen gives us no chance. Yet, the folks at 350.org say that they “believe that a global grassroots movement can hold our leaders accountable to the realities of science and the principles of justice.”

I don’t buy it. It’s a case of too little, too late—and they’re not even focusing on food. As I have been saying since 2013,  I believe that it will take an URGENT game plan, backed by a combination of powerful, totally-committed, global leadership and a whole lot of money—in order to get the kind of traction needed to make a real difference. But I seem to be the only one talking about such a plan. As for the talks in Paris, here’s a sampling of comments from around the world: See links below to recent articles by each of them. Click here for my earlier blog that included the above graph.

Bjorn Lomborg, author and environmentalist, Copenhagen Business School

After two weeks, huge amounts of political rhetoric, and much activity behind closed doors, we have a treaty. While there will be celebrations among activists, the Paris Treaty will do very little to rein in temperature reductions.

The Paris Treaty promises to keep temperature rises below 2°C. However, the actual promises made here will do almost nothing to achieve that.

James Hansen, arguably the father of climate change awareness

“It’s a fraud really, a fake,” he says, rubbing his head. “It’s just bullshit for them to say: ‘We’ll have a 2C warming target and then try to do a little better every five years.’ It’s just worthless words. There is no action, just promises. As long as fossil fuels appear to be the cheapest fuels out there, they will be continued to be burned.”

Paul Krugman, The New York Times

Did the Paris climate accord save civilization? Maybe. That may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but it’s actually the best climate news we’ve had in a very long time. This agreement could still follow the path of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which seemed like a big deal but ended up being completely ineffectual. But there have been important changes in the world since then, which may finally have created the preconditions for action on global warming before it’s too late.

chompingclimatechange.org

It is widely recognized that replacing animal-based foods with plant-based ones can have a large positive effect on climate change.  Indeed, plant-based foods offer two major benefits:  They not only reduce greenhouse gasemissions, but they also free up land on which we can grow more trees, which can draw down excess carbonfrom our atmosphere.

So far, governments’ strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions have mainly involved replacing fossil fuel infrastructure with renewable energy infrastructure.  In fact, governments worldwide have collectively spent billions of dollars on such strategies; yet emissions have risen ever higher since 1990.

The Bottom Line. I agree with Jeff Anhang and his colleague, the late Robert Goodland of the World Bank, that there is only one pragmatic way to stop global warming. We must begin moving as quickly as possible to get the animal out of the equation when it comes to what we eat. And, guess what? None of the experts and dignitaries in Paris even mentioned it.

They only talk about carbon emissions from tailpipes and smokestacks. They are totally ignoring the elephant in the room. And without that elephant’s cooperation, there will be no living in harmony with nature. And where does that leave us? A planet that is no longer hospitable to human occupation. We simply must figure out a way to prevent that from happening.

Dr. Goodland got it right as illustrated in my February 2014 article honoring his memory. Food Choices. The primary cause of global warming?

The following six books can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

1. 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health, powerful new book by Kerry Graff, MD and yours truly
2. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (my first book)
3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
4. Primary cause of cancer is not bad luck. Stop Feeding Your Cancer, by John Kelly, MD
5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy you are eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes about two minutes. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course.

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf Program website, which is now being used by an ever-growing army of enlightened medical doctors who are fed up with “disease care” and want to promote true health for their patients.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmh@4leafglobal.com

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:

The founder of Esprit and The North Face, Doug Tompkins

Kris and Doug Tompkins. She is the former CEO of Patagonia.

As a veteran of the fashion world, I have known about Doug Tompkins for many decades, although I never met him. And, I never will, because sadly he died yesterday in Chile while doing what he loved–enjoying the natural beauty of nature. 

How did this great environmentalist feel about our love affair with eating animals? From what I have learned so far, he was like almost every other great environmentalist out there, in that he rarely mentioned what we eat, just how we produce it.

Sadly, I know of only one well-known environmentalist who has fully connected the dots and knows that our typical western diet of meat, dairy, eggs and/or fish three meals a day is without a doubt the elephant in the room when it comes to most of our most urgent environmental crises. More about him later.

Since hearing about his accidental death this morning, I have learned much more about Mr. Tompkins than I ever knew. And it turns out, we were close to the same age and we have both become passionate about the same topic: The Sustainability of Life on Planet Earth. In order to give you a feel for what I have learned about this great man, I will share a few of his quotes from a 2013 NY Times article entitled There is no sustainable business. (See link to article below.)

I share these comments with you now because I agree with everything he had to say. But, I believe most strongly in what he apparently NEVER said, “That radically moving away from eating animals is the ONLY way we’re going to buy enough time to fix all the other environmental problems we are facing.” For unless we change what we eat soon, his final comment below may very well come true.

Remove ‘sustainable’ from your dictionary, there is no sustainable business. Only biological sustainability counts.

Economic activity has impact and we are just now doing a better job of measuring what those impacts are

We have an economy that’s based on growth without limits. How is that possible? To grow and grow and grow without limits is out of the question.

Healthy biodiversity is at the base of everything, with species extinction being the ultimate catastrophe. We’ll be living on a sand heap with a Norwegian rat and a few cockroaches at the end.

In the following 20-minute video, there is a continuous stream of examples of unsustainable human behavior, things like: overpopulation, overgrazing, industrial aquaculture, fossil energy, combustion engine, etc. It almost includes everything that we do; therefore, probably causing most people to think that trying to fix it is hopeless.

Sadly, he never mentions the single first step of changing what we eat. We simply have to make it simple for people everywhere that saving our ecosystem can begin with a powerful step that most people can make overnight. By simply moving toward a whole food, plant-based diet, we’ll not only help buy humanity enough time to fix all those other issues, but we’ll also do some wonderful things for the physical health of every member of each of our families.

Maybe some other influential environmentalists will read this article and will then read my 2014 article about the simple solution. NOTHING is more Important than Sustainability!

A 2014 Tomkins video entitled “The Fate of the World”

I mentioned that I only know of one famous environmentalist who totally “gets it” about food. His name is James Cameron and he is now working on the sequels to Avatar, a movie with a powerful environmental message.

James Cameron, director of Titanic and Avatar, the top grossing films of all time

I once told Jim that I had concluded that he “was the most influential person on the planet who totally gets it about the consequences of our food choices.” After considering it for a moment, he reluctantly agreed that I was probably right.

Relevant articles:

• There is no sustainable business. NY Times 2-25-13
• Douglas Tompkins, 72, North Face Founder, Dies in Kayaking Accident NY Times 12-8-15
• The entrepreneur who wants to save paradise. Atlantic, Sept 15, 2014
• My 11-5-15 blog. Will grassroots activism save our ecosystem?
• My 5-14-15 blog. My relentless drum-beat continues.

The following six books can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

1. 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health, powerful new book by Kerry Graff, MD and yours truly
2. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (my first book)
3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
4. Primary cause of cancer is not bad luck. Stop Feeding Your Cancer, by John Kelly, MD
5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy you are eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes about two minutes. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course.

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf Program website, which is now being used by an ever-growing army of enlightened medical doctors who are fed up with “disease care” and want to promote true health for their patients.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmh@4leafglobal.com

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info: