Subject: Re: food shortages

From: [email-masked] (Don Bowen)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 07:09:30 -0800

The latest issue of Organic Gardening came yesterday and it had a
very interesting item.  China is undergoing rapid economic growth which
brings increased consumption.  In China's case the increase is mostly in
pork.  China also has a problem with arable land which is mostly along the
rivers.  The top soil is washing away at increasing rates.  With a current
population of over 1.6 Billion (That's B!) they currently inport 6 million
tons of wheat.  If there is no increase in percapata consumption, with
expected population growth, China will be importing 216 million tons of
wheat in 35 years.  That is more than the current total wheat import/export
business throught out the world.

  Donald E. Bowen           [email-masked]
  Valley Center CA.         [email-masked]

  Software Engineer, woodworker, historian, beekeeper, farmboy
  model railroader, 1936 Farmall 12, 1966 Corvair CORSA 140 convertible
  1 wife, 3 kids, 2 acres, 2 cats, 2 dogs, ? projects,  no TV, 24 hours

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From: [email-masked] (Jeff Owens)
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 09:14:48 -0500

Bonni Brooks wrote:
> I second this.  I can't remember the source, but it was reliable, that
> said the world could sustainably support an obscene number of people -
> 45 billion?  50 billion? on a Japanese-style diet.  The problem is not
> one of population, but of distribution.

Jeff Owens replies:
Your data may be correct and we can feed a huge population.  But some
questions still remain:

  1.  Is it really sustainable?  Using existing food systems?
  2.  How would an energy crisis impact our ability to feed everyone?
  3.  What would the quality of life be like with this population?
  4.  When we reach 50 billion, will the problem go away?

I can not state with conviction that these questions have answers.
But, I can say that life in crowded environments is not ideal.  The
trend now is to use the resources until they are gone.  Ignore the
problems with pollution.  Ignore the fate of animals that are displaced.
Ignore the native cultures who give up their land.  Ignore the
nuclear waste storage problem.  Ignore the fact that some forests are
having trouble.  The list goes on and on.  Where/how do we stop.

Jeff (vote with your lifestyle)