Book Review: The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do To Avoid It by Julian Cribb - Page 3

Yet he's not entirely blind to politics, noting "under climate change, Canada, Russia and Siberia will emerge as the world's grain superpowers by the end of the present century. Scientists have calculated that by 2080 Russia/Siberia could gain an extra 40-70 percent of new farming land, while North America ya gain 20-50 percent. Such increases would in theory go a long way towards counterbalancing heavy losses in food production in the tropics and subtropics - but unless the food produced iin the North is somehow transported and affordably distributed in the deficit regions, the risk of large-scale local famines triggered by climate impacts will be acute. In all of history to date, the existence of vast food surplus in the North has failed to prevent starvation in the South". (And he rather doubts that the 1.3 billion people who now depend on the great rivers of the Indian subcontinent, in large part fed by Himalayan glaciers, will be given the chance to resettled in water-rich regions.)

And he does see the need to at least make some of the profiteers pay something back. He says food manufacturers and supermarkets "should volunteer, ot be required" to fund agricultural science and communication of the results. "Just as mining companies are now asked to clean up the sites they mine and repair their environmental damage, so should the food industry be required to repair the environmental damage it causes through its pricing policies." And he's clear that privatised research, with the results used for further profit-generation, is not the way to proceed - all research results should be available to all.

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Article Author: Natalie Bennett

Natalie blogs at Philobiblon, on books, history and all things feminist. In her public life she's the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.

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  • 1 - Dr Joseph S Maresca

    Dec 26, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    Food First by Lappe' discusses how to promote farming throughout the world to produce more and lower commodity prices. The Victory Gardens of the 40s sought to involve the general public in home gardens in order to make more food available and ultimately lower the price.

  • 2 - Paul Felix Schott

    Feb 07, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    Lord i Pray that we stay One Nation Under GOD, and United that all should be Free. May we always have Patriots like Paul Revere. To tell us the wicked are coming to dig in our pocketbook.

    Our Government needs to Lower all taxes while we still have a United States of America.

    When this Old World starts getting you down. From Pollution the cost of OIL, Heating Fuel,The Fuel you put in your Vehicles, You Electric Bills from
    cooling air conditioners and lights not to speak of the Evil. The TAX that all Governments Federal, State, County and City put on everything they can thing of.

    They are supposed to serve us. Not put a burden on its people. That they are elected to serve all the people you, not their own Pocket Books.

    The Wicked keep putting higher taxes on everything. Making it a Heavy Burden on many that are already struggling just to put food on the table.

    Too many Americans have lost their home to the tax collector or to foreclosures from the unjust bankers greed. More are out of work and lost their homes then in the GREAT DEPRESSION, in the last ten years. All Americans and many Nations need good jobs and more of them. Not more TAXES AND WARS.

    All Taxes need to be lowered now while there is still time to save America.

    There is a Industry that will employ workers and is growing by more then 50% every year. There is a clear way for all up on the roof the Sun Light is free fuel from GOD. Some wicked in Government have been backing Coal, Oil, Gas and the Nuclear industries for too many years.

    These kickbacks to them were called Subsidizing Industry Technology. Most all Wise Men and smart Economist and Environmentalists call this padding their pockets and subsidizing back to the
    Stone Age.

    The best deal would be to lower Taxes for all this is not the Roman Empire or the Persian Empire.

    The Chinese Know Renewable Energy is a good thing. Most of the rest of the World is still a slave to Oil, Coal and Nuclear Power. All the Governments of the World now know it is wise to use Renewable Energy it is the Local Governments that are a little slow to learn what is best for all not just there pocket book.

    They fear people going off the grid all that tax money they will no longer be able to take from you. Wind and Solar Farms are growing all over the Earth. This could have happened years ago if the greedy wicked were stopped by the Real Good.

    The Freedom to get your own Power from the Wind and Sun, Solar Energy has been there for years. Are Libraries and Schools should have been the first to have gone Solar and Renewable Energy. And why are they not? Churches are all over the Planet. They are going to Solar Energy.

    Thank GOD for the Pioneers like John Schaeffer that Started Real Goods The first and Best catalog for Renewable Energy and Scientist Bill Young at the FSEC Florida Solar Energy Center and Monica D. Key Lindbergh for many years wrote to our legislators promoting Solar and Renewable Energy and many others.

    These Pioneers helped put Wind, Solar And Renewable Energy in the Spotlight for all the World to see.
    The Great Scientist Albert Einstein Stared it with a Dream that the day would come that all the World would use Solar Energy. His many years of work with the law of the Photoelectric Effect, and showing this to the World won him the Nobel Prize in Physics. We still do not teach this to our young.


    GOD Bless all that help tell this to the World

    All Taxes need to be lowered cut in half or there will be a lot more Poor and needy and not in just other countries. This 2012 year the World will see hunger like never before. More then 100 million will be sick from malnutrition going with out food. Taxing the poor and taking there Land away from them is Wicked. Very soon the Rich will become the Poor.

    If your Legislature will not lower Taxes vote them out of office and VOTE in someone that will Lower your Taxes. If your Son or Daughter was raised in a christian Home we need them in our Government as Leaders.


    United We Will Always Stand
    In GOD We Trust
    True Patriots


    GOD Bless
    and May HE Guide you all.

    The Lord’s Little Helper
    Paul Felix Schott

    P.S.
    Many a Nation have fallen from taxing their people to Death. You want Prosperity and for thing to Flourish and grow lower all taxes. You want thriving, success, or good fortune for only a few, keep over taxing all.
    Solar, Wind and Renewable Energy Freedom from OIL. The Humanitarian thing to do. Solar Energy.
    Why let the Wicked in office in our Nation if they do not believe in GOD and the Bible vote them out of office.
    United We Will Always Stand in GOD We Trust George Washington and Johann Paul Schott 12/24/1776. 3:45AM
    In GOD We Trust
    The United States of America’s Motto July 30, 1956.
    King David’s Motto 3,000 years ago.
    Soon all the World will Pray to Our Lord GOD and Savior Jesus Christ.

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