Below is my review of an article posted in the Scientific American Magazine, May 2009 and below is a link to the original article.

Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization or Perhaps a Summary of Humanity?

We owe some gratitude to Lester Brown for cleverly tackling such an important issue as food shortage and creating an awareness of this very real threat for our entire planet. In his article within the 2009 May issue of Scientific American: “Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?”

Mr. Brown weaves a picture of the future of our planet and it is a dismal and frightening one. His bold use of explicit adjectives and adverbs paints a very real picture of a future where we must step up and make great efforts to change or suffer the dire complications.

The great misconception that hunger affects only a small portion of our planet was ripped from my thought process as I realized while reading this article that we are indeed all affected.

The global stability of our planet is actually teetering on a severely limited water supply and most of us move through life unknowingly complicating the problem.

In America, we seem to be largely a nation of self-absorbed people swimming in a lake of denial and our world’s fresh water supply is in grave danger.

This danger is so pressing that it has already affected Somalia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, India, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dramatic result is found in these nations turning to drugs, weapons, war, political instability, piracy, terrorism, genocide, as well as death and disease.

China is already drilling the last of their water table but they are not worried as they have bought out America’s vast debt. This debt assures them that America can be expected to not only support them with our resources but bail them out of their water emergency which is just on the horizon.

History has already shown us how food shortages adversely affect the economy as well as health. This has a ripple effect all over our planet. Water yields plant life-grain, literally feeds us and all animal life, and thus begins the circle of life or the link in the chain which may undo us all if it is not protected.

We must fight deforestation, soil erosion, perfect irrigation and technology to preserve our valued resources. Controlling population seems unrealistic but necessary.

Ultimately…
To simply summarize this article would not do it justice. Lester Brown is a very talented writer and has successfully motivated me to this cause with his persuasive argument.

The realization that our future is held within our limited water resources world-wide is a provocative and demanding fact. Mr. Brown did not just toss facts at us but endeared this important cause to all humanity that reads this article.

It is the actual soil we must protect and the water that nourishes it.

The technological terminology and facts were not lost amongst the vivid adjectives, adverbs and verbs which uniquely personalized his intent.

Restoring the earth’s natural systems and resources is just the beginning. We must reduce net carbon dioxide emissions, raise energy efficiency and develop renewable energy.

Using the amount of grain that would feed one person for a year to create the small amount of ethanol to fill one 25-gallon tank for an automobile is ridiculous.

Our two most valuable resources, water and time, are not replenishable nor or they unlimited. Time is of the essence and water is disappearing before our eyes. Our future is evaporating.

If we could step back and look at all this logically, it would be obvious that we should spend the fraction of what we spend on global military spending for a much more reasonable focus, saving our planet.

It would seem a simple thing to actively promote population control, make sure health care is available to everyone as well as food.

Restoring and preserving the precious water tables we have is imperative. Education is the key to accomplishing all these goals.

Obviously Mr. Brown has won me over to his cause. I felt inspired to action which of course would be the greatest accomplishment a writer could obtain, and I am very impressed with Mr. Lester Brown and his message.

The article by Mr. Brown has now been restated by me in an emotional plea for us all to look at our planet differently and actively do what we can to encourage changes that are necessary. This is a race I hope we win.

It is interesting how an article can move you to change, foster thinking and create possibilities. These changes, critical thinking and hopeful possibilities are our future.

This month I plan to plant a few trees, quit buying bottled water, adjust my sprinklers on the lawn, and create a t-shirt which will simply say “Got Water?”

It will be my way of stimulating the critical thinking and open conversations to ideas which will help save our planet. This may be simple compared to the wonderful visuals in Lester Brown’s article however I hope they endear others to this cause.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=civilization-food-short...