Warning for 6 Billion People: Population Growth in the 21st Century and Food Security

Author: Klaus M. Reisinger (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: This book delivers a message that is both sobering and hopeful: under the current global population and wasteful production and consumption models, Earth's resources are already overexploited; however, the tools to achieve sustainable population growth and resource use levels exist. It is time to use these tools. The book provides a comprehensive elaboration on food security: ensuring that everyone at all times has access to food necessary to maintain a healthy life. Food security should be achieved from three aspects: having sufficient high-quality food; enabling families and individuals to access this food; and utilizing its nutrition with access to clean water, adequate sanitation facilities, and healthcare. It also points out that our lack of greater success in reducing population growth is not due to insufficient capabilities but rather to excessive complacency. It is widely known what policies are likely to be effective, but what is lacking is the political will to implement these policies. The authors of the book note that new technology is not the only solution to the population problem, but if we want to use existing resources more effectively, new technology is crucial and can help us avoid large-scale hunger and humanitarian disasters.