Full Version: World Food Crisis
As food prices sky rocket many news outlets have reported food riots and demonstrations in poor nations around the world. Within the US contributions to food banks are down at the very time that the need is increasing. HERE is an article from the UK's Independent reproduced on Commondreams that discusses the issue?
Lester Brown at The World Watch Institute saw this crisis coming years ago as did many of us who follow such things. For instance see MY POST #16 IN THIS THREAD from March of 2005.
1. How serious is the world food crisis?
2. Why are world leaders so slow in identifying and attacking such fundamental issues?
3. What can be done to address the immediate crisis?
4. Are there any long term solutions?
QUOTE
A dramatic rise in the worldwide cost of food is provoking riots throughout the Third World where millions more of the world’s most vulnerable people are facing starvation as food shortages grow and cereal prices soar. It threatens to become the biggest crisis of the 21st century.
Lester Brown at The World Watch Institute saw this crisis coming years ago as did many of us who follow such things. For instance see MY POST #16 IN THIS THREAD from March of 2005.
QUOTE
I thought the situation was grim before GWB focused this country's attention on an endless war on terrorism (oil grab) and used the distraction to undermine what little we were doing to attack fundamental problems of environmental degradation and population control. Now the prospect of any solutions short of massive starvation of the poor seems exceedingly unlikely. Lester Brown points out that 3 of the last 4 years the world produced less food than it consumed and that the 4th year it only produced as much as it consumed. Food stocks are almost entirely depleted! Water aquifer are being depleted in China, India, the U.S. and elsewhere. Deserts are expanding in north China and sub-sahara Africa. Farmed acreage is decreasing not increasing. The green revolution has reached it full capacity. Many fisheries have collapsed and others are threatened from over fishing. We won't be able to feed the current population let alone the 3 billion more people that the UN says will be added before world population would stabilize naturally.
1. How serious is the world food crisis?
2. Why are world leaders so slow in identifying and attacking such fundamental issues?
3. What can be done to address the immediate crisis?
4. Are there any long term solutions?
No one has chosen to respond to this topic though many have looked. Just in case someone might wish to engage on this subject, here are links to a couple of more articles.
Global Hot Spots of Hunger Set to Explode this includes Iraq and Afghanistan
Eat Less Meat
Global Hot Spots of Hunger Set to Explode this includes Iraq and Afghanistan
Eat Less Meat
1. How serious is the world food crisis?
The world definitely has limited resources, including food. What I find difficult to believe is the fact that the places where living conditions, particularly food and medicine availability, is poor is where the population is booming. Undernourished.
Compare that to: Population growth
Newsflash: if you are hungry, quit breeding. If you can't feed yourself, what chance do you have to feed your children? (I realize that some countries do not fit this crude generalization. People are fleeing Bangladesh in addition to starving there, so the population growth is low. The World Bank notes that the government has taken steps to raise literacy and curb population growth. It actually touts Bangladesh as an example of a country that is doing the proper steps. Bangladesh progress
I will say that hysterical rhetoric isn't going to solve any problems. Getting these governments to change the behaviors of their people (including controlling population growth) is key to success here.
2. Why are world leaders so slow in identifying and attacking such fundamental issues?
If the people involved are unconcerned and demonstrate this fact by bringing children into their hungry lives, what are we to do about it? Most of these countries are led by dictators and autocrats. The governments need to change before the people can be helped substantially.
3. What can be done to address the immediate crisis?
Obviously we are compassionate. When news stories start springing up about starving Bangaladeshis, we will send money as we always do. We will send food. We will have concerts. We will do what we've always done and step up to the plate. Meanwhile, the root problems continue (poverty) and the cycle repeats.
4. Are there any long term solutions?
Yes, raise these people out of poverty. How do we do that?
By ridding them of their corrupt governments which are usually Communist or Islamic. Allow people to get jobs and stop being killed by roving bandits which are often government workers. Open up trade with these countries and bring them into modern society. You know, all that utopian stuff we conservatives always talk about.
Oh, and TedN5, you need to get off those whacko lib sites.
The world definitely has limited resources, including food. What I find difficult to believe is the fact that the places where living conditions, particularly food and medicine availability, is poor is where the population is booming. Undernourished.
Compare that to: Population growth
QUOTE
Rank Country %Annual growth
1 Liberia 4.83
2 United Arab Emirates 3.99
3 Gaza Strip 3.66
4 Mayotte 3.61
5 Burundi 3.59
6 Uganda 3.57
7 Kuwait 3.56
8 Yemen 3.46
9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.39
10 Oman 3.23
11 Sao Tome and Principe 3.13
12 Madagascar 3
13 Burkina Faso 2.99
14 West Bank 2.98
15 Niger 2.89
16 Mauritania 2.86
17 Comoros 2.84
18 Somalia 2.83
19 Kenya 2.79
20 Gambia, The 2.78
21 Rwanda 2.76
22 Maldives 2.73
23 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.72
24 Togo 2.71
25 Mali 2.68
26 Benin 2.67
27 Senegal 2.64
28 Congo, Republic of the 2.63
29 Afghanistan 2.62
30 Guinea 2.62
31 Iraq
1 Liberia 4.83
2 United Arab Emirates 3.99
3 Gaza Strip 3.66
4 Mayotte 3.61
5 Burundi 3.59
6 Uganda 3.57
7 Kuwait 3.56
8 Yemen 3.46
9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.39
10 Oman 3.23
11 Sao Tome and Principe 3.13
12 Madagascar 3
13 Burkina Faso 2.99
14 West Bank 2.98
15 Niger 2.89
16 Mauritania 2.86
17 Comoros 2.84
18 Somalia 2.83
19 Kenya 2.79
20 Gambia, The 2.78
21 Rwanda 2.76
22 Maldives 2.73
23 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.72
24 Togo 2.71
25 Mali 2.68
26 Benin 2.67
27 Senegal 2.64
28 Congo, Republic of the 2.63
29 Afghanistan 2.62
30 Guinea 2.62
31 Iraq
Newsflash: if you are hungry, quit breeding. If you can't feed yourself, what chance do you have to feed your children? (I realize that some countries do not fit this crude generalization. People are fleeing Bangladesh in addition to starving there, so the population growth is low. The World Bank notes that the government has taken steps to raise literacy and curb population growth. It actually touts Bangladesh as an example of a country that is doing the proper steps. Bangladesh progress
I will say that hysterical rhetoric isn't going to solve any problems. Getting these governments to change the behaviors of their people (including controlling population growth) is key to success here.
2. Why are world leaders so slow in identifying and attacking such fundamental issues?
If the people involved are unconcerned and demonstrate this fact by bringing children into their hungry lives, what are we to do about it? Most of these countries are led by dictators and autocrats. The governments need to change before the people can be helped substantially.
3. What can be done to address the immediate crisis?
Obviously we are compassionate. When news stories start springing up about starving Bangaladeshis, we will send money as we always do. We will send food. We will have concerts. We will do what we've always done and step up to the plate. Meanwhile, the root problems continue (poverty) and the cycle repeats.
4. Are there any long term solutions?
Yes, raise these people out of poverty. How do we do that?
By ridding them of their corrupt governments which are usually Communist or Islamic. Allow people to get jobs and stop being killed by roving bandits which are often government workers. Open up trade with these countries and bring them into modern society. You know, all that utopian stuff we conservatives always talk about.
Oh, and TedN5, you need to get off those whacko lib sites.
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