Ok, I am quite open about my lack of knowledge in the science of the arguments for ecological challenges that will arise from climate change - I read it and interpret what I can and the cumulative picture I have constructed suggests that there is an environmental problem which we as a species would appear to be converging on four fronts a) through our carbon useage we are adding to an already unprecedented level of atmosheric co2 levels b) higher average planetary temperature has direct effect on crop outcomes - recent study from a US govt institute identified that above 34oc plants photosynthesis level drops, above 37oc they effectively close down - this has serious implications for crop volumes particularly in northern China, and across the USA - both being the largest producers of grain it pushes food prices ever higher globally c) the additional challenge of temperature has led farmers to pump water from ever deeper sources of aquifiers - technology has certainly helped them here, and this has maintained higher than expected yields at times when drought conditions would be expected otherwise, however, the water in the aquifiers is running out - in Norther China this is such a serious problem that they are losing vast areas of once fertile farmland to desert - the double whammy of loss of food production, and the need to move large numbers of people to already overstressed cities is a tricky issue. d) Population - projected to rise to 9 billion by 2050 - that is 50% above what it was in 1975 e) Oil - and this is my particular starting point (not from lifestyle, not from green politics, not from science even, but from a concern of the social consequences) oil is running out, all the reports converge on a limited resource being used at ever greater levels of consumption and less and less of it being found around the planet to feed supply. This is what got me refocused on this in the first place, single solutions rarely work - simple fact that we rely so much on oil across the planet, and particularly in the western industrial nations, that we have to ask is it sensible to presume that we can continue to function with business as usual given that our food is hugely oil dependent from production, ploughing, cropping, packaging, to distribution, to cooking, to disposal mechanisms. We have a real problem. If we add to this the recent findings from the new economics forum which bring together three sets of findings one on poverty, one on the 'social' and one on access then it is becoming clear to me that unless we pay very careful attention to the local production of food, and ensure that participation in establishing and sustaining the local production of food across diverse communities of people, we are in great danger of doubly disadvantaging the poor who cannot afford to buy food and who have no access to resource where they might be able to grow some. I really don't know how this pans out, but it seems to me that the logical thing to do is to start somewhere, hence our food project in Todmorden. It seems to me that this is not a personal problem, it is a social one, sustainability is a social issue, it needs people to connect on this at local, regional, national and international levels - but solutions need to be found and shared from the local level, governments have a dire track record in innovation - that is why I am not surprised in the response from folks at the meeting - even if they responded positively - what would they do?
Yes its economic - but to assume its economic with growth at its core is to maintain the idea that we can just continue to systematically deplete the resources available to us, we may need an economic model that looks at no growth in conventional terms - sustainable economics - prosperity without growth? there seems to be an intersteting connection between sustainability - growth and well being - particularly at a moment of recession.
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