Global population is increasing at a rate we cannot imagine about, alongwith many other threats we are facing one major is "demolishing food". We, unfortunately are not left with enough sustainable food for the existing population as a result many parts of the world are being hit by malnutrition.
Jacques Yves Cousteau, very clearly pointed the root cause of problem as:
"Population growth is the primary source of environmental damage. "
The Stats
According to U. N., the global population is expected to reach 9.8 billion (currently 815 million) by 2050 that means our food supplies will be facing a great stress considering the production rate we have today when the demand would increase to about 60%.
Shrinking Resources
The changing climate of our earth which includes events such as green house effect, global warming and ozone depletion, over urbanization, soild degradation are greatly effecting the quality of our available productive /arable/vegetative land that we use to grow our food. The earth water that we rely on is depleting because of pollution. The fossil feul that is the major form of feul we exploit is exhsustible and unsustainable which means the continuous use of it will make it scarce too.
What can be done?
The above mentioned facts and discussion would automatically divert our minds towards thinking of a potential way to overvome these threats. In my opinion the smart use of scientific knowledge is the only way left.
We can generate sustainable food by using genetic engineering techniques. By "sustainable", I mean the production of food maintained at a level that equals the rate of reproduction to the rate of exploitation. Simply we can switch to the food that can be cultivated at a faster rate.
Ban ki-moon clarified the overall importance and impact of sustainable development comprehensively as follows:
"Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governace. "
An Alternative
Being a Botanist (student of plant Sciences) i always facinate about plants. Luckily our planet is blessed eith a number of plant types and varieties that we can use as a source of food
One souch option is "ALGAE", these are simple water loving plants that are magical in terms of qualities they bore. A form of algea called "Seaweeds" can be our potential food alternative. These plants have a significant nutritional value. They can be cultivated in the form of aquaculture or mericulture, surprisingly the cultivation of algae for edible purposes has already taken into consideration by many countries, the top cultivators include China, korea, Phillipines etc.
Besides an option as a food, Algae can also be seen as a potential alternative for fossil feul.
First to reallize the situation of being at an exhausting planet and secondly The smart use of scientific knowledge to make this place work for us is the only way that i can see of our Survival!
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