Wealthy Nations Privatizing Farmland Abroad

Source: Chelsea Green /Christian Monitor

Chelsea NEWS reports, "The global race is on for farmland." Should we be concerned? I think so. There are 6.8 billion people on this planet. United Nations predicts another 2.5 billion are on their way over the next 40 years. Stop and think.... 2.5 billion people in 40 years. If you were going to feed that many people, wouldn't you need to start planning now? Billion, not million.

We (United States) have around 350,000,000 people in our country alone and you see how hard it is to feed just 350,000,000 people. Add another set of zeroes to the equation. 2.5 billion more people in 40 years. (250,000,000,000) If that doesn't send a chill down your spine then you aren't paying attention. And the race for farm land is on; the rich countries are starting to plan ahead to make sure they can feed their own citizens.

Perhaps it's time to plan more community gardens. Perhaps we'd better start teaching our children to read, write and learn something about the natural world so they can grow food just in case they have to help feed the 2.5 new people who are going to want to eat too.

Jeffrey Sachs - Love him or hate him - part 2

I posted in May about Jeffrey Sachs’ new book, "Common Wealth." Sachs is quite methodical and comprehensive in his explanation and presentation of how to solve the world’s slow growing environmental crisis. It has been very thought provoking.

In the beginning, it sounded like every other environmental book that I have read, but in greater detail along with statistics that make one shutter. At first, I was disappointed and thought, "This is Al Gore part 2." But after he reiterated all the problems that everyone else has, he begins to offer solid solution after solution that is new, unique and doeable. For me that is the key. We've talked enough, it's time for action! He calls for a "Demographic Transition" in dealing with climate issues, biodiversity issues, water issues, natural resources issues, the population explosion, etc. I had never heard of this before nor had I really considered his arguments. But each idea and argument is thoughtfully laid out and makes a very strong case for his each of proposals. The only question that I have after reading his book is whether or not mankind will be able to make the adjustments in our thinking, in time to deal with this slow moving train wreck he so skillfully describes at great length.

It really is an excellent book. I plan to read it again. There was so much information on a variety of topics. I find myself referring to it over and over again. I really get the poverty question now after reading this book. His book made me rethink my thoughts about Sachs and what he stands for too.

Free Wu Lihong

Mr. Wu is an environmental hero and is sitting in prison in China for standing up and speaking out against a corrupt system that allowed Lake Tai to become a cesspool of filth and pollution. The water from Lake Tai flows into the Yangtze River. This polluted water ends up irrigating crop land for food shipped around the world. The world needs to stand up for Mr. Wu and demand his release from prison.

Environmentalist in China Arrested for speaking out! Why it should matter to Americans.

Photo credits: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Photo credits: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Photo credits: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Mr. Wu was sentenced to three years in prison as retribution for blowing the whistle on local officials for allowing Lake Tai in Yixing, China to be used as a giant toilet. Mother Nature had her revenge though. The lake exploded with cyanobacteria and toxic fumes poured out of the lake, creating a hazard for 2.3 million people according to the New York Times.

Mr. Wu, who was sounding the alarm for years, is still sitting in prison from fake charges that he was tortured to confess to. There is a price that people pay in China for sounding the alarm and speaking out about the growing pollution problem.

Why should that matter to us in America? We all live downstream. Over time, all the pollution will move into the ecosystems and make their way into the oceans. The oceans touch us all in some way. But a more immediate concern is our food supply. Americans now import much of its food from other countries.

Here is a quote from the article:
“One letter from local farmers described how a nearby factor making 8-hydroxyquinoline, used as a deodorant and antiseptic, emitted noxious fumes that “make our days and nights impassible.” Another writer referred to a local factory as “ a new Unit 731” named after the Japanese team that conducted chemical warfare experiments in World War II. Members of another group said they did not dare tend their rice paddies without wearing gloves and galoshes because irrigation water caused their skin to peel off."

How do we know where the rice that we eat is grown? How do we know that this rice is not mixed into many of the products that we buy in our country? There is not labeling to show country of origin for any of the food that we eat. We are at risk because our own leaders are bought out by special interests who do not want the American consumer to know that we are buying food that is grown where the water is polluted. That is why it matters. Our food supply is at risk.

When you look at the pictures, for me it raises a moral issue as well. How can we, in good conscience, not care about the living conditions our consumer frenzy for cheap products helps create for these people. What about their rights? Do they have none? Would we like to trade places with them? I certainly don’t. Why is it OK to encourage commerce without requiring some type of worker and environmental protection?