World lacks enough food, fuel as population soars: U.N.
(I am borrowing this story - first posted in Late Breaking News but locked there - it may also be in Good Reads) I found it interesting because I'm sure the markets are salivating over the opportunity to raise prices on all commodities described herein. But to me the article simply points out how unsustainable capitalism is and why we must transform to socialism as quickly as we can to save our planet.
By Nina Chestney
LONDON | Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:07pm EST
(Reuters) - The world is running out of time to make sure there is enough food, water and energy to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population and to avoid sending up to 3 billion people into poverty, a U.N. report warned on Monday.
As the world's population looks set to grow to nearly 9 billion by 2040 from 7 billion now, and the number of middle-class consumers increases by 3 billion over the next 20 years, the demand for resources will rise exponentially.
Even by 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to U.N. estimates, at a time when a changing environment is creating new limits to supply.
And if the world fails to tackle these problems, it risks condemning up to 3 billion people into poverty, the report said.
Efforts towards sustainable development are neither fast enough nor deep enough, as well as suffering from a lack of political will, the United Nations' high-level panel on global sustainability said.
"The current global development model is unsustainable. To achieve sustainability, a transformation of the global economy is required," the report said.
"Tinkering on the margins will not do the job. The current global economic crisis ... offers an opportunity for significant reforms." ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/us-un-development-idUSTRE80T10520120130
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