Let me begin by saying forcefully! I am NOT a back to nature environmentalist or anything else radical. Read this before going on,
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0215/West-Africa-Rising-Could-rising-food-prices-spark-Egypt-style-revolt-in-Africa?cmpid=ema:nws:World%20Daily%2002162011&cmpid=ema:nws:Njg3OTY0NDk0NQS2
Follow my logic. The internal combustion engine and technological progress eventually led us to where we are today. One of the results of this has been our ability to move from the rural areas to cities, to use money to buy food and shelter, to be able to transport food to places that wouldn't normally have much, etc. You should see that each new event has built on top of the last. Same story with water. Without engines and motors, no water for central and southern California, right?
So where am I going with all of this obvious information? Well, without Water and Food (in that order of importance) we die right? The following link lists famines over time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines.
Try and correlate the famine dates with significant world events i.e. Irish potato famine and migration to United States, and Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Note the # of estimated deaths.
Back to today. With our modern transportation system hungry/thirsty people can get from famine to food much more easily than the Irish did if they want to.
While I've been ranting for a couple of decades the need to live where there is natural water and enough space to grow something to eat, only my son will know this.
And the point is? Save and preserve seeds for food. With roughly 10 humans being born and 6 who die every minute world wide, the arithmetic is against a decreasing population.
Is there a fix? Well, if there is it seems to escape me this morning. Maybe you've got some ideas. If so feel free to share them here.
Natural disasters/ epidemics are highly probable, especially considering that the world is getting hotter and that the climate of the earth has always been changing. The population will decrease sooner than later. Erik Reese has some interesting statistics in his book, "Lost Mountain," about the acreage needed to feed each person and how that acreage is being rapidly consumed by humans themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou should have your own copy of that book. It is a definite "Jack" book.
IFF
Here's an interesting video by a mathematician about human population and exponential curves.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY
Basically, at some point nature will take its course. I know it sounds kind of like a "cop-out", but at the end of the day that is the truth. Whether it is war, famine, or an asteroid that brings the human population back to a sustainable level, it will be straightened out.
Hopefully, we can innovate better ways to create food an energy more efficiently, but save that a whole lotta people will be in big trouble. Unfortunately, this scenario is probably within the not-so-distant future.
Physicists are gaining ground in fusion power, which will elevate Mankind to a whole new level if they are successful. Other than that, while I'm not a "watermelon" (green on the outside, Bolshevik Red on the inside) either, we do need to start using alternative energy sources for our energy. Windmills and solar panels won't cut it; but we've got plenty of natural gas lying around that ought to be put to good use. Also, I've heard of hydroelectric turbines that we could put in the Gulf Stream, and maybe that will screw up France's mild climate, thereby killing 2 birds with one stone.
As for the seeds, I know a lot of people are rushing to get them, but I think a better investment would be canned foods. I'm not gonna sit around and wait for a plant to sprout when I could have a hot meal with a Swiss-Army knife and a book of matches. But hey, if they're cheap, having seeds wouldn't hurt.
I'm deeply indebted to and grateful for Bubba's link:
ReplyDelete"Here's an interesting video by a mathematician about human population and exponential curves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY"
Thank you for your input and the link. Jack