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Pitfalls of modern living

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-10 08:06

Less developed countries should protect and increase their agricultural production to maintain their food security at a time when the world is facing a food crisis, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations convened a meeting on the soaring food prices in Rome from June 3 to 5. The delegates at this meeting generally agreed that the international community, especially developed countries, should increase food assistance to developing countries. It also suggested down-to-earth efforts to boost free trade of agricultural produce and to re-adjust the policies of producing biofuels.

The food crisis of this time exposes the hugely destructive function of modern lifestyle. Unlike earlier food crises, this one is directly related to the energy issue facing the world. Out of their worries about the shortage of fossil fuels and the high pollution they cause, America and the European countries, which grow as much as 50 percent of the world's food, have used plenty of rice fields for the production of biofuels in recent years.

We may say that oil prices have driven up food prices. But modern lifestyle has become the main driver for the rising prices of food and oil. The modern world highly depends on cars and steel, which not only pollute the world more, but also require more supplies of energy.

This food crisis thus is a warning to the less developed countries that they probably should not over-rely on the international market. On the contrary, they should boost their agricultural production.

The food crisis also cautions us against modern lifestyle, which has become a major source of problems like global warming, deteriorating environment and the food crisis.

(China Daily 06/10/2008 page8)