Author and environmentalist Lester R. Brown tells Nandini Nairour civilisation is at risk Run off Lester Brown (bottom) warns against melting icebergs He might bring doom's day prophecies with him. But he offers solutions as well. Environmentalist Lester R. Brown was in the Capital's Taj Mahal hotel recently for the launch of the Hindi version of his book, "Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilisation' (W.W Norton & Company). The last time he was in India was 50 years ago for six months. He worked in villages, near Nagpur and close to Lucknow, as a volunteer. He has authored or co-authored about 50 books, and has been translated into 40 languages. The Washington Post has called him, "one of the world's most influential thinkers'. Earth Policy As President of the Earth Policy Institute, Washington DC, Brown has been sounding the alarm about climate change and the threat to civilisation. "Business-as-usual is no longer a viable option,' he says. "It's time for Plan B.' Plan B for Brown implies an all-out response at wartime speed. The biggest threat according to him is carbon dioxide emissions. If the Greenland ice sheet continues to melt at its present pace, then the sea level will rise 23 feet, inundating many of the world's coastal cities and the river deltas of Asia. Changes in the climate will have a catastrophic impact. With a one degree Celsius rise in temperature, we can expect 10 per cent decline in wheat, corn and rice production. He reasons that this will increase food price, which in turn will create political instability. Political instability leads to failing states