[ ]In case you have been out of touch recently, the continuously increasing prices of rice and other agricultural products all over the world have instigated a global food crisis, especially burdening for the already famished third-world countries, but also affecting the wealthy, full western world.
Here's two random articles on the subject:
"World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger"
"UN to set up task force to tackle global food crisis"
[ ]According to these, "100.000.000 people are estimated to have been pushed into poverty over the past two years", including 20.000.000 children in the threshold of malnutrition.
The reasons for this crisis are mainly:
1) The redirection of agricultural production to biofuel instead of nutrition, due to the increase of the fossil fuel prices.
2) The unpredictability of the weather, mainly extending the periods of drought.
3) The increased demand by the upcoming "middle class" of China and India.
4) The increase cost of agricultural production, due to the increased prices of fertilizers and needed energy.
1) Unfortunately, modern society is an "energy hostage". Almost everything needs oil to run. Oil is owned by few countries in the world and even fewer companies. They control its price. They control global energy.
Because of that, other companies find it profitable to grow plants not for food but for oil substitute, therefore, some people buy cheaper fuel at the cost of other people's food.
Our cars burn Human Beings.
2) Of course, our dependency on carbon fuel has created the Global Warming crisis, making the problem worse, since burning changes the climate, bringing even more droughts, therefore, even less fertility.
3) Our world economy patterns, always seeking the cheapest goods, have brought significant monetary power to multitudinous countries like China and India. These people, seeing that they have finally started gaining "buying power", they demand what is rightfully theirs: The affluent lifestyles of the westerners.
Imagine how it'll be like when the billions of Indians and Chinese have a couple of cars each, like people in Europe and America do.
It's time for our economic system of plenty to pay the piper.
4) Finally, our "blinder" policy of profit is constantly making agricultural endeavours more difficult and more expensive, resulting in less, pricier food for the people.
The solutions referred by the aforementioned articles are:
1) Ration cards for food.
2) Genetically Modified crops
3) The end of pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap supermarkets
[ ]On these I will only express my disagreement on the Genetically Modified Organisms. Such creations bear two dangers:
1) Genetically Modified Organisms do not naturally exist. They are monsters indeed and nobody can know what their effect on the ecological balance of the planet can be.
2) It's not a problem of quantity but of policy. GMO's or not, the people controlling the distribution will be the same.
[ ]In conclusion, THAT exactly is the problem: The current food crisis has been created by wrong, unviable policies, NOT material shortage.
We have made ourselves slaves to oil.
We have made ourselves slaves to "profit".
[ ]A more just distribution of goods CAN eliminate poverty.
[ ]Because what the present crisis is showing us is that no-one is invulnerable to injustice. Those responsible for third-world poverty will tomorrow (or even today) cause our own poverty.
Here's two random articles on the subject:
"World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger"
"UN to set up task force to tackle global food crisis"
[ ]According to these, "100.000.000 people are estimated to have been pushed into poverty over the past two years", including 20.000.000 children in the threshold of malnutrition.
The reasons for this crisis are mainly:
1) The redirection of agricultural production to biofuel instead of nutrition, due to the increase of the fossil fuel prices.
2) The unpredictability of the weather, mainly extending the periods of drought.
3) The increased demand by the upcoming "middle class" of China and India.
4) The increase cost of agricultural production, due to the increased prices of fertilizers and needed energy.
1) Unfortunately, modern society is an "energy hostage". Almost everything needs oil to run. Oil is owned by few countries in the world and even fewer companies. They control its price. They control global energy.
Because of that, other companies find it profitable to grow plants not for food but for oil substitute, therefore, some people buy cheaper fuel at the cost of other people's food.
Our cars burn Human Beings.
2) Of course, our dependency on carbon fuel has created the Global Warming crisis, making the problem worse, since burning changes the climate, bringing even more droughts, therefore, even less fertility.
3) Our world economy patterns, always seeking the cheapest goods, have brought significant monetary power to multitudinous countries like China and India. These people, seeing that they have finally started gaining "buying power", they demand what is rightfully theirs: The affluent lifestyles of the westerners.
Imagine how it'll be like when the billions of Indians and Chinese have a couple of cars each, like people in Europe and America do.
It's time for our economic system of plenty to pay the piper.
4) Finally, our "blinder" policy of profit is constantly making agricultural endeavours more difficult and more expensive, resulting in less, pricier food for the people.
The solutions referred by the aforementioned articles are:
1) Ration cards for food.
2) Genetically Modified crops
3) The end of pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap supermarkets
[ ]On these I will only express my disagreement on the Genetically Modified Organisms. Such creations bear two dangers:
1) Genetically Modified Organisms do not naturally exist. They are monsters indeed and nobody can know what their effect on the ecological balance of the planet can be.
2) It's not a problem of quantity but of policy. GMO's or not, the people controlling the distribution will be the same.
[ ]In conclusion, THAT exactly is the problem: The current food crisis has been created by wrong, unviable policies, NOT material shortage.
We have made ourselves slaves to oil.
We have made ourselves slaves to "profit".
[ ]A more just distribution of goods CAN eliminate poverty.
[ ]Because what the present crisis is showing us is that no-one is invulnerable to injustice. Those responsible for third-world poverty will tomorrow (or even today) cause our own poverty.
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