Looming World Food Crisis
Paul Krugman, an op-ed columnist at the NY Times, has a very thought provoking analysis of an issue that has been getting put on the back burner...a world food crisis. The issue has to do with a few different factors but all of it is related to a world living in unsustainable standards.
The problem has been getting worse over the past few years with grains doubling or tripling in price. American's may not feel the pinch as much as third world countries where half of a person's income can go towards food.
The 2005 Energy Policy Act mandated that 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol be produced by 2012, of which we are now producing a record 6.6 billion gallons per year. The Energy Act of 2007 increased the mandate to 9 billion gallons by 2008, 22 billion gallons per year of advanced biofuels by 2022, and total of up to 36 billion gallons by 2022!
| Facts and Figures (2006): |
| Problems: |
A study conducted by scientists from the Nature Conservancy, Santa Clara University, and Harvard University concluded that: |
| Related Articles: |
The decline of ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean region, Pre-Columbian southwest U.S. and Central America is believed to have been strongly influenced by natural resource degradation from non-sustainable farming and forestry practices. This is what makes this issue so important. We are running out of arable land and too much of it is made for animals, in which it takes 700 calories of animal feed to produce 100 calories of beef.
Some of the problem lies with China increasingly demanding a Western style diet by consuming more and more beef and other meat products. This alone creates a greater squeeze on remaining resources.
Biofuels increases pesticide use, is inefficient, does not prevent climate change, and competes for land that could be used to grow food for HUMANS. If farmers are lured to grow corn for ethanol instead of a crop for human consumption, especially because the government subsidizes it, then prices for food go up in the U.S. and around the world. One major byproduct of corn is high fructose corn syrup which is a sweetener that goes into soda pop and other sweet drinks. Price hikes may seem small for us, but once again these increases are literally starving the rest of the world. As an environmental blogger, I thought I would argue why I am completely against biofuel production from corn ethanol while highlighting a major global threat to the food supply.
_______________________________________________
Federal Energy Bill Summary
Vertical Farm Essay by Dickson Despommier, Department of Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia University
Factsheet From: EnergyJustice.net
Technorati Tags: global warming
6 COMMENTS, ADD YOURS HERE:
Philippines is currently under food crisis today (rice shortage). Rice fields are being converted to modern venues of infrastructures.
Global weather crisis is creating problems with food supply too. A flood here, a drought there, some snow across somewhere else and suddenly you've created really horrific problems.
We need to use less energy, before we're forced to.
Thank you, thank you for posting this! I am Rika from thenearbyfuture.com and I am so ecstatic that someone besides me is finally posting something about this hideous idea of corn ethanol. About a couple years back on my Freewebs account, I wrote an article about how corn as ethanol was a definitely bad idea. (Currently posted on The Nearby Future) Don't you hate it when you were right all along and no one listened to you?
So anyway, I applaud someone else's efforts to save the world from impending doom. *Claps*
-Rika
What about the methane and the carbon dioxide produced when the by-products of corn decompose? Aren't they going to contribute more to Global Warming?
Corn is cultivated for consumption, but for fuel, I suggest we take another way of obtaining fuel.
http://environe.blogspot.com
The problem is atmospheric carbon, the solution is water, some places have
too much and others too little. If we pump the water from areas that have
too much water to the arid regions for irrigation we could actually lower
the concentration of atmospheric carbon. I offer as proof the NOAA CO2 chart
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/carbonlevels/ the chart clearly shows
that CO2 levels drop by 6 ppm every northern hemisphere summer. I attribute
this to the fact that more vegetation is growing during the northern
hemisphere summer. At the rate of 6 ppm per year it would take about 18
years to reach the carbon level set in 1750 AD, after that a certain amount
of carbon would have to be added to the atmosphere to keep the carbon level
at that point. If carbon were allowed to drop below a set limit it would
trigger an ice age.
Cheap rafts made from waste plastic bottles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Island could collect rainfall from the
oceans and produce energy at the same time. There are millions of square
miles of arid land (expanding daily) that could be used to grow vegetation
if only enough pure water were made available, the rafts could supply all
the water needed. Since the rafts would cover millions of square miles of
ocean they would lower the water temperature and provide a breeding
sanctuary from overfishing.
The reclaimed desert areas would provide small farms for refugees and the
homeless. Since the islands can be made at almost no cost using simple hand
tools there would be jobs for billions of third world workers and ensuring
that they have good food, clean water and adequate housing. If the rich
nations do not want to give up their lifestyle then they had better take
notice of the world around them and fix the problem.
Raising 50% food production by 2030 (U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon told world leaders) but the issue is how? Present economic pattern of the globe only helps promoting urban economics. Major Asian countries which were producing and exporting food grain to the world now intend producing and supplying computer and electronic goods. Most countries do not pay attention to promote agricultural product through research to add on value thus become profitable. Consequence of urban economics is excessive urbanization. Urban related economic growth thrusts agricultural land conversion to cities and building to accommodate urban population and industries. Over 20% of farm lands of developing countries have been converted to cities and buildings for the past decades and Over 50% of farmlands of villages (close to cities) got merged with cities. Food shortage is as war on world, could be disastrous to collapse world economics. Food is first priority for each consumer, expensive food would prune consumption of other product’s and services.
• World absolutely need to pay attention the importance of rural economics and emphasize on agriculture and add on value to it.
• Present education pattern only facilitates urbanization to grow urban population. Change in education pattern so to improve student’s taste towards agriculture and its research that includes animal farming.
• Agriculture need to be profitable for the farmers.
• More allocation of fund and land to agricultural sector.
• Tough international legislation to arrest speculative gambling on essential commodities.
• Bring back the incentives to farmers to produce more without incurring losses.
• World population will grow and land will be less for us so maximum endeavor to scientific research so can use most land and water available on earth that includes desert land and sea.
• Main cause of food shortage is growth pattern of developing countries. So bio fuel alone is not responsible. The real culprits are shortage and speculation hoarding. However, growing crop for fuel in land for food is not justified scientists and research professionals can work on sourcing from sea, river, desert or unused land plants or other means.
http://www.sadashivan.com/distressingfacts/id7.html
Post a Comment