LESTER Brown, founder of Worldwatch Institute, recently published the book 'Eco-Economy' - an ambitious and broad sketch of a new global economy that prioritises the ecological imperatives of our time.

Brown refers to Thomas Kuhn who, to recapitulate, is the philosopher of science who made 'paradigm shifts' famous. It is widely believed that 'ecological economics', though still in its formative stages academically, may well be the next paradigm in economics.

That Lester Brown associates himself with those heralding this 'shift' or that Eco-Economy means to contribute, should not come as much of a surprise. As founder of the Worldwatch Institute, president of the Earth Policy Institute, prolific author and much-awarded thinker, Brown does have a place in the radical 'eco-eco' movement. The movement conceptualises economics as a subset of ecology, not vice-versa.

In fact, Eco-Economy is precisely about this. It delineates the elements of a 'restructured' world economy that places the earth at the centre of things and 'ecology over economics'. Brown describes what would typify such a new economy - solar and hydrogen energy, new and recycled materials, higher cropland and water productivity, sustainable forestry, redesigned cities, stabilised populations