Waste, waste – and more waste
A too, too familiar site on campus...
A report was released in Nairobi today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that is a bit disturbing: “Over half of the food produced globally is lost, wasted or discarded as a result of inefficiency in the human-managed food chain.”
Some examples:
Losses and food waste in the United States could be as high as 50 percent, according to some recent estimates. Up to one-quarter of all fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States is lost between the field and the table.
In Australia it is estimated that food waste makes up half of that country’s landfill. Almost one-third of all food purchased in the United Kingdom every year is not eaten.
Losses in the field between planting and harvesting could be as high as 40 percent of the potential harvest in developing countries due to pests and pathogens.
In Africa, the total amount of fish lost through discards, post-harvest loss and spoilage may be around 30 percent of landings. The report estimates that globally about 30 million metric tonnes of fish are discarded at sea every year.
On the one hand, the report suggests that if we were to address these inefficiencies, we probably have the capability to feed the entire planet plus a substantial population increase without any increase in land or resources. We just have to stop throwing food away.
On the other hand, if we continue business as usual, things are likely to get much worse very quickly as environmental systems continue to degrade, agricultural yields continue to drop, water supplies continue to shrink. (Here’s a recent report we posted from Kenya on this topic.)
I wonder if there are any Bible passages that speak to this? hmmm…
God's Creation | Ed | 18 February 2009 |
