Topic: Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?
Author: Lester R. Brown
Main Point's:
Author: Lester R. Brown
Main Point's:
- The 2008 harvest began, world carryover stocks of grain were at 62 days of consumption, a near record low.
- The number of failing states was expanding.
- Trends include the on going addition of more than 70 million people a year; a growing number of people wanting to move up the food chain to consume highly grain intensive livestock products.
- People in low-income countries where grain supplies 60 percent of calories, such as India, directly consume a bit more than a pound of grain a day.
- Countries such as the U.S. and Canada, grain consumption per person is nearly four times that much, though perhaps 90 percent of its is consumed indirectly as meat, milk and eggs from grain-fed animals.
- A fourth of this year's U.S. grain harvest enough to feed 125 million Americans.
- China's wheat crop, the world's largest, has declined by 8 percent since it peaked at 123 million tons in 1997.
- China's rice production dropped 4 percent.
- The world's most populous nation may soon be importing massive quantities of grain.
- 175 million Indians consume grain produced with water from irrigation wells that will soon be exhausted.
- The result is falling water tables in countries populated by half the world's people.
- As the world's food security unravels, a dangerous politics of food scarcity is coming.
- Vietnam the world's second-biggest rice exporter after Thailand, banned its exports for several months for the same reason.
- The Philippines, no longer able to count on getting rice from the world market, recently negotiated a three-year deal with Vietnam for a guaranteed 1.5 million tons of rice each year.
- U.S. grain harvest with 1.3 billion Chinese consumers with fast-rising incomes - a nightmare scenario.
- U.S. consumers will share their grain with Chinese consumers no matter how high food prices rise.
- The current world food shortage is trend driven the environmental trends that cause it must be reversed.
- The world is in a race between political tipping points and natural ones.
- We can close coal-fired power plants fast enough to prevent the Greenland ice sheet from slipping into the sea and inundating our coast lines.
- Agriculture as it exists today has been shaped by a climate system that has changed little in the 11,000 year history of farming.
Author Point's:
The Author point's about this article is that the food scarcity and the resulting higher food prices are pushing poor countries into chaos. And the "failed states" can export disease, terrorism, illicit drugs, weapons and refugees. Also, water shortages, soil losses and rising temperatures from global warming are placing sever limits on food production. Without massive and rapid intervention to address these three environmental factors, his argues a series of government collapses could threaten the world order. Nature sets the deadlines; nature is the timekeeper. But we human beings cannot see the clock. That is the mind-set we need if civilization is to survive.
The Author point's about this article is that the food scarcity and the resulting higher food prices are pushing poor countries into chaos. And the "failed states" can export disease, terrorism, illicit drugs, weapons and refugees. Also, water shortages, soil losses and rising temperatures from global warming are placing sever limits on food production. Without massive and rapid intervention to address these three environmental factors, his argues a series of government collapses could threaten the world order. Nature sets the deadlines; nature is the timekeeper. But we human beings cannot see the clock. That is the mind-set we need if civilization is to survive.
My thought's:
After reading this article it pretty much talks about many countries are losing their food and the poor country is becoming brutal about their food products. Other countries are losing business and doesn't have no more connection to the other country to get their food. Which also gave me a concern of whats going to happen in 10-20 years. Imagine if the world turns out to a war zone for foods because his or their country doesn't have enough to feed its own country. It's really scary isn't? Yes, it is. I'm just hoping that they should find a way to make this countries to go back were they use to do and should have to stay stable.
After reading this article it pretty much talks about many countries are losing their food and the poor country is becoming brutal about their food products. Other countries are losing business and doesn't have no more connection to the other country to get their food. Which also gave me a concern of whats going to happen in 10-20 years. Imagine if the world turns out to a war zone for foods because his or their country doesn't have enough to feed its own country. It's really scary isn't? Yes, it is. I'm just hoping that they should find a way to make this countries to go back were they use to do and should have to stay stable.
So what?
Many countries are becoming poor and Others countries are becoming more brutal about food.
What if?
If we find a way to start gaining more farms for everyone? Or finding poor countries to improve their food source?
Says who?
The Week Staff
What this remind me of?
The last frontier
Many countries are becoming poor and Others countries are becoming more brutal about food.
What if?
If we find a way to start gaining more farms for everyone? Or finding poor countries to improve their food source?
Says who?
The Week Staff
What this remind me of?
The last frontier