People, Not Technology, Are the Key to Ending Hunger

re: People, Not Technology, Are the Key to Ending Hunger

isoptera — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:50:49 GMT

Global warming is an important problem, especially if it happens rapidly. Most of it is probably from clearing trees and plants from the soil anyway. This could be mitigated by planting tree crops and shade trees along highways. However an answer to a question we have not been asking is; "We should not be using our carbon fuels for so trivial a purpose as to merely generate heat and therefore electricity or non aviation transportation in a world where every week the sun beams down enough energy on the state of Arizona alone to supply the whole world with non transportation energy during that time". Those fuels should be devoted to chemical stock and aviation. Burning carbon is akin to burning furniture to keep warm. Oil will probably run out in another hundred years or so and practical coal probably in another two or three hundred or so. What do we have planned for the remaining million years this nation is scheduled to survive? Our constant drum beat about not being dependent on foreign oil is 180 degrees off. If we were really greedy we would use foreign oil as much as possible. If a major war should loom after our oil runs out we will be left high and dry, and maybe defeated.

If our oil policy seems foolish, our atomic fuel policy must seem like insanity by comparison. The carbon will still be on the surface of the earth, extremely expensive to turn into chemicals, but not impossible. Uranium once burned will be gone forever. Our progeny will curse us if they come across a very valuable use for uranium and it is gone. If that purpose were to be the only practical way to get rid of a meteor scheduled to destroy the earth, for instance, they will be cursing us with their dying breath. They will look back on our problems with those jerks in Afghanistan with fond nostalgia.

It is often said that we can not tap the sun’s energy without further expensive research. This is not so. We already know how to make photovoltaic devices and heat engines.

re: People, Not Technology, Are the Key to Ending Hunger

Hmmmmm — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:42:31 GMT

When Diet for a Small Planet was initially published, I thought it was a fantastic breakthrough. Through the years it has never left my mind when thinking about nutrition and the added benefit combining complementary foods can yield. To my taste, food combining actually improves the flavor of many foods. Additionally, it offers a means of increasing the amount of available food on a global level, but we now know that hunger and starvation is most often due to political and sociological problems, rather than famine or other natural disasters.

World hunger is an unsolvable problem, but local hunger can be addressed. Not only food production, but food distribution, food prices, and finally food choices and preparation all factor into the quality of each individual’s diet. Food must start with the individual and work out from there. It is close to impossible to try to solve this for someone half way around the world who has a different genetic type, different climate, different socio-economic and political resources (and how about different religious beliefs?). Even with the US’s current level of technology, prosperity and science, food is a challenging issue on a variety of levels. In many instances you can lead a horse to water, but you will not be able to make him drink.

re: People, Not Technology, Are the Key to Ending Hunger

SpokenHeart — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:27:43 GMT

Well then, let's start a democratic dialogue that holds our government accountable. Who's with me? Also, I would love to take the information from Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" along with Dr. Mercola's information about our future of food and make it into an exciting video. Do it in a format like the "The Secret" video, with interviews from Michael Pollan, Dr. Mercola, food scientists, farmers, etc.