Bursting the Food Bubble
2/14/11
What is a food bubble and why should we care? That is the question posed in an article by Alison George on the New Scientist website a couple of days ago. A food bubble is created when populations inflate food production through the unsustainable use of land and/or water resources. And the bursting of food bubbles is something that should concern us all, according to the founder and president of the Earthwatch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute, Lester Brown.
This, in theory, is something that everyone should be familiar with, but unfortunately many of us are not. It's hard enough for us to picture the amount of water we are removing from a visible source, like a lake or river, let alone an underground aquifer. In many regions around the world, food bubbles are getting precariously close to bursting. I won't get into the details here as I think the article puts it perfectly, however, I will echo the final section...what can I/we do about it?
While recycling, being energy conscious, and buying your food locally and organically can all make a difference if we band together, the solution recommended by the authors, and one that is becoming more and more prominent, is to get politically active (and I would add socially active as well). One of the benefits (in theory) of living in a democratic society is that you get a say. I know that my "activity" has diminished over the past few months for various reasons, but this article is just the kick in the pants I needed. I will be back to posting on websites and blogs that I like, sending letters and emails to people in positions of power, and spreading the knowledge to my friends and family.
This, in theory, is something that everyone should be familiar with, but unfortunately many of us are not. It's hard enough for us to picture the amount of water we are removing from a visible source, like a lake or river, let alone an underground aquifer. In many regions around the world, food bubbles are getting precariously close to bursting. I won't get into the details here as I think the article puts it perfectly, however, I will echo the final section...what can I/we do about it?
While recycling, being energy conscious, and buying your food locally and organically can all make a difference if we band together, the solution recommended by the authors, and one that is becoming more and more prominent, is to get politically active (and I would add socially active as well). One of the benefits (in theory) of living in a democratic society is that you get a say. I know that my "activity" has diminished over the past few months for various reasons, but this article is just the kick in the pants I needed. I will be back to posting on websites and blogs that I like, sending letters and emails to people in positions of power, and spreading the knowledge to my friends and family.
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