Hard data hasn’t been collected, but it’s a safe bet that we waste more food and energy resources than we think. In a given year, think about the amount of waste we generate, and the potential for harvesting those products to maximize their use.
A
“green boom” is a common dialogue amongst some communities but, by far, not
universal. In fact, green technology is
often a luxury that only wealthy nations can talk about, while other global
regions suffer from arid landscapes, non-potable water, and serious shortages
of natural resources. In some places,
regional shortfalls have pitted farmer against farmer, country against country.
And
yet with so much money being wasted, there are no permanent solutions for
spreading the bounty. Alternative
energy and agricultural science are in their gestational periods, historically,
and far from being the immediate solution to environment mis-management.
I have written before that the most valuable natural
resource we need to mine is not energy, but water.
Good for me, bad for you.
Today,
one of the biggest changes we see, literally, on our planet is the evaporation
of lakes and streams. Its impact upon
harvestable crops worldwide is staggering.
The stakes are getting higher as populations migrate for political and
economic reasons. To them, a gallon of
drinking water is more valuable than an ounce of gold.
Those
who own the resources, however, are living conspicuously. Irrigation and abundant water aquifers feed
plentiful dollars into those regions that can sustain crops and build vibrant
communities. Lurking in the shadows,
always, is the notion that a cornucopia of food and water is a gift, not a
given, whose absence can be the death knell of a region.
Efforts
to maintain this plentitude of resources costs money. A community that has a robust agriculture is
the envy of its neighbors, particularly those that are without such an
infrastructure. As prices gyrate based
upon largesse and speculation, wealth creation similarly gyrates and migrates. By 2030 we might see an inflation rate
increase of 50% or more from today’s values for a basket of commodities. Nations will surely be affected by cost creep
in the next few decades. Politicians and
world leaders must also learn to deal with these realities when shaping budgets
and policies with which to govern.
Profit…at any cost.
Wall
Street seems only to pay modest attention to these conflicts, focusing mostly
on how to profit from shifts in cultural and agricultural
demographics. While
scientists have one eye on the statistical, climatological and geographical
data, Wall Street’s bankers, theorists, traders, and regional vice presidents
have the other eye focused firmly on money-making product offerings from which
they can supply the well-to-do with arm’s length participation in “solving a
global crisis.” The message is clear, though: no amount of discussion or conferencing can
salve the conscience of a profit-over-people mentality.
By
robbing Peter to pay Paul one loses the social and moral high ground that
creates real value for the planet, and which respects all citizens equally. A sharp turn in focus by all players
(institutional, cultural, moral, political) is required before this issue can
assume front-burner status.
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