socialmedian: Climate Change and Ag. & Food Policy

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Climate Change and Ag. & Food Policy

Source: Laws of Necessity

Oct 14, 2009

Summary

Every year, because of our misuse of the Earth's resources, we lose 100 million acres of farmland and 24 billion tons of topsoil, and we create 15 million acres of new desert around the world. An inch of good topsoil can take a thousand years to form, but when people destroy windbreaks by cutting down trees, the topsoil can be washed or blown away in months -James Martin, The Meaning of the 21st Century (2006). Agriculture, and more specifically food policies, are intricately connected to carbon emissions. First, food supplies are often transported over long distances, even between continents, to supply today's consumers. Transporting fish or other fresh products thousands of miles by airplane to markets produces extraordinary emissions. Similarly, long trucking hauls also emit significant carbon. Second, farming methods, including the use of farm equipment, irrigation, fertilizers, and other supplies, may utilize a significant amount of power and generate emissions.

To reduce the distance that food travels, its production must become more local. After peak oi ...Read the full article

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