Orchestrated Doom
There has been a lot of food doom in the news, but not all of it noticed and some of it, downright misleading.
ING’s financial analysts predict that agricultural prices will increase further by another 40 per cent by 2020, reflecting a tight supply brought on in part by increased demand for grains, a global water shortage, and changing weather patterns. Grain Prices Could Rise By 40%
This is a ridiculous claim. Global energy depletion is happening right now. We’ve been warned of a possible 100% price increase this winter, depending on the ongoing US drought conditions, only a decade ahead of this wildly optimistic and totally unrealistic “prediction” above.
Some products are now gone. I do not know yet when or if they will return. Organic wheat is gone. Mushrooms have gone up over 100%, we don’t carry them anymore.
China (19% shortfall), Australia (76% shortfall), Bangladesh (50% shortfall) and Indonesia.
“The poor walk the earth with very light carbon footprint but they are set to suffer the most from the actions of a few.”
“An agrarian crisis is brewing because of climate change that could jeopardize global food supplies and increase the risk of hunger for a billion poorest of the poor…”
Meat, poultry, vegetables feel heat from global warming.
“From meat, poultry and milk to potatoes, onions and leafy greens, everything consumed on the world’s dining tables is feeling the heat from climate change, scientists say.” Meat, Poultry, Vegetables
High food prices: Africa shows first signs of trouble.
“Recent violent unrest over soaring food prices in several West African nations points to new signs of trouble on a continent where nearly half the people live on a dollar a day, experts warn.”
Soybeans highest in 34 years on China demand.
“Soybeans surged above US$11 a bushel to the highest in 34 years as China increased purchases of dwindling U.S. supplies.” Soybeans Highest In 34 Years
Here’s the gut clenching kicker —
Food = seed (which are both vulnerable & controlled in MANY ways) + soil (current high rates of depeletion) + climate (significant global changes now underway) + (peak / energy depletion).
OIL = work / population (per capita). Oil is (obviously) required in each and EVERY ‘step’ (aspect) of food production, processing, delivery (access and distribution), and even consumption (unless cooking on wood stove / hearth) in ALL of the ‘developed’ world and in most of the 2nd and 3rd-world’s as well (AKA, for the VAST majority of humans).
9 out of 10 calories in the American diet (and others) derive from food that comes from petroleum based sources (fossil energy). Did you get that?
PERIOD – FULL STOP
EVERY single step, process, action IS rapidly increasing price – with NO end ‘in sight’ (or even possible, “alternative” fuels sources have never come even close). For EVERY $x/gal increase in liquid fuels (all of them) times at least a dozens steps and processes = 12+ fold effect of oil price on food to the CONNEDsumer.
Food will rise in price MUCH faster than Oil – or ANYTHING else. FOOD will rise exponentially to the price of oil.
Population Impacts
Population growth rate (net) approx +10,000,000 per year (3 per second) [note: IMO exceeded by several orders of magnitude by bullets, and tons of bombs, explosives and biotoxins produced per second).
Productive agricultural land lost per year approaches 2 BILLION hectares (every) YEAR (and accelerating) from: salinization, erosion, desertification, nutrient stripping, over grazing, aquifer depletion (does not include climate change) each cause probably (IMO) exceeds current deforestation rates.
“According to the Global Assessment of Human-Induced Soil Degradation there are 1.9 billion hectares affected by soil degradation world-wide, 850 million hectares of which are within the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for about 24% of the total regional land area. Thirteen per cent of arable land in the region is severely degraded, 41% is moderately degraded and 46% is light” Land
Deforestation Rates
1990 – 2000 89.000 sq km/year
2000 – 2005 73,000 sq km/year
Total since 1990 approx. 1,400,000 sq km = 541,000 sq miles or approx 1/7th the entire US including AK (also approx. 1/7th of China).
Species extinctions
There are many thousands of species exterminated per year (that we know of). Conservative estimates are a species extinction occurs on average every 20 minutes (3 per hour, 72 per day, 504 per week, 26,208 per year). This is every day, every year, non-stop.
In effect, for every 3,600 humans added to the planet, another species goes extinct. ALL directly caused by fossil fuel combustion (by man) in one form or another.
Some are arguing that this lifestyle and it’s “costs” is still worth “saving”. I disagree. At this rate, we will cause the extinction of all living things in our quest to have the ‘good life’ and then go extinct ourselves. However, the reality is actually going to be much different — We ourselves will die out once we have depleted our food supplies (water, soils, seeds, plants, animals and climate factors).
[significant input from Lonewolf contributed to this article – Admin]
Conclusion
It is patently clear to those who have delved into these subjects, that our future is highly uncertain and is in fact, in severe peril. It is not a question any longer regarding our “way of life” and whether or not it is over, that has already been decided. Efforts to create alternative energy supplies will only exacerbate the existing depletion conditions in species, water, soil and climate, effectively hastening our own destruction and that of every other living thing on this Earth.
This knowledge is not unknown, but it is being almost totally ignored by those who have the power to change the outcome. Instead, every effort is being made to continue as before, propping up the existing power structures and corporate elite who are on the forefront of our planet’s destruction.
This situation will in all likelihood, continue until ‘corporate collapse’ sets in, but not before irreversible planetary damage has been done to the global ecosystems and bio-fauna, including the human population.
If is also patently clear, that if other species cannot live here, then neither can we. Our active destruction of the biological chain of life cannot go on forever without impacting our own survival. We have literally consumed the underpinning structures that support life itself, and at present, are now living on the dregs that are left. This will not last much longer.
This is regrettable, but unavoidable. Power structures that cater to profits, position, power and prestige refuse to recognize the planetary peril that they have created. Corporate collapse is needed, necessary and long overdue and will result in a global economic collapse, lifestyle collapse and ultimately, civilization’s collapse.
As harsh as this may sound, this too is unavoidable, because our civilization refuses to learn it’s own lessons from the past despite having the best science and scientists in history and the most interconnected and informed populace this planet has ever seen.
I offer nor suggest any solutions that have not already been written here. There really are none. We cannot save what is irrevocably damaging, nor should we even try. Many will still try, which will only continue to make things worse.
Unless and until we adopt a new culture and a new ethic that lives from the increase of the Earth rather then the decrease, we will ultimately fail and find ourselves outcasts on a wasted, blasted and devastated planet.
P.S. – Envision a blood-drenched American, sweating, swearing and swarthy, clenching a bloody knife between his fist as he stands somewhere near the North Pole. At his feet lies the world’s last surviving mammal dying at his feet, it’s throat cut and lifeblood leaking out onto the cold ground.
His triumphant shout proclaims his “victory” and total mastery of all, as it echoes off into the nothingness, for there is no one and nothing left anywhere at all to listen to his hollow words. Only when he returns to his senses does he realize that he has killed the only other human that was still alive on this planet.
Now, finally, master and owner of all, king of all the Earthly domain, his plight is finally and forever, apparent to him. In tears of sorrow and regret experienced far too late, he awaits his fate as the new day dawns and the body at his feet grows cold.
Also read – The Ghosts of Misplaced Conscience
“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” Albert Einstein
Your final point of calling for a completely different mindset of increase rather than decrease is echoed there.
As I’m sure you know, there is no hope of a reconciliation with nature unless there is a marked decline in human population. This will happen, one way or another, at some speed, fast of slow, but the result will be the same.
I have decided I will spend my last few years watching the death throes of dominator culture and cheering on nature.
Ultimately, the dominator culture will cannibalize itself which will lead back to natural balance. These are the first violent years. In a thousand years, there may or may not be humans, but one thing is for certain, western “civ” will be finished.
My questions to the people who read this fine blog: Who are we to save? How many will be saved? Should we save only ourselves? Can we accept the nature of life, that is that life comes out of death, that many MUST die in order that the world survive?
I think “tribally”, personally. Concentric rings of closer to farther tribal members. I cannot save ‘everyone’, I will concentrate on trying to save those who are most important to ME. Which is what everyone will do, and is doing now.
All life feeds on death.
Cherenkov – yes, I think I’ve seen some trailers. I don’t buy videos though of what I already “know”, not usually. I should make my own video!
Your points are quite accurate, only a marked reduction in human population and activity will ‘make a difference’ in our relationship to the Earth and all other species of life.
This is why the collapse is necessary and long overdue. Internal changes are not possible or even desired by most of humanity, they would prefer to keep on destroying the place in the fools attempt to ‘maintain a quality of life’ that will collapse anyway.
We can only save ourselves. I do not advocate the idea that we can save humanity at large. I do not think this is possible or desirable. FernWise is quite correct too – if you can’t save yourself, you cannot save anyone else.
Nobody here is planning to ‘kill off humanity’, this will happen all by itself. Collapse is 100% unavoidable now, the latest news on climate change makes this very clear. It’s already too late, humanity has killed itself.
If any survive, which is totally unknown imo, they may learn something from this, but as Harmony say’s, it’s pretty doubtful. We seem destined to repeat our mistakes, except this time, it’s pretty big mistake.
I found the following info and accompanying photographs very enlightening.
They can be found at http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373664,00.html .
I think we all need to read Walden and take Thoreau’s advice to “Simplify! Simplify!”
Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips
Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat
Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City
Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar or $221.45 Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati rice
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken
Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken
China: The Dong family of Beijing
Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76 Yuan or $155.06
Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour sauce
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Family recipe: Pig’s knuckles with carrots, celery and parsnips
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Family recipe: Okra and mutton
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage
United States: The Caven family of California
Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream
Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar
Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02
Family recipe: Mutton dumplings
Great Britain: The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis
Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds or $253.15
Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge cake with cream
Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
Favorite foods: fried potatoes with onions, bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding
This was posted on this blog about a year back, “What the World Eats” as I recall.
Defiant