| should have been working to prevent the disaster from overtaking the world's food resources. After the First World War wheat production in Europe took 10 years to regain its pre-war level, and production of livestock took even longer to recover. During the Second World War millions of acres of agricultural land were put out of production or rendered useless. Cattle, pigs, poultry, and horses were slaughtered for food, and no more could be raised because feeding-stuffs could not be grown to feed them. In Europe fields were left untilled for lack of workers and draught animals, and during the liberation of occupied countries heavy fighting, flooding with salt water, extensive laying of land mines, etc., all had a disastrous effect on the production of food. The shortage of wheat was made worse by the severe drought of 1945, which shrivelled up whatever crops were left in southern and central Europe. The result of these successive setbacks to the welfare of humankind is that there are countries today with such abundant food supplies that they can provide enough for all their people; while, side by side with these countries, there are others so poor that they cannot even provide themselves with a proper ration. Nor can they always import food from countries formerly used as larders by the rest of the world, for many of those countries have in recent years begun to eat more of their own produce and are not likely to give up their improved diet. And so the whole world is faced today with a food shortage which gets worse or better only as harvests are smaller or bigger. Moreover, two great wars and their evil results have not succeeded in checking the growth of populations. What therefore can be done to redress the balance and give the world a better supply of food? Scientists believe rightly that the soil could produce three times as much food as it does today. Genetic engineers may be the answer |
but others also could solve the problem. The Present Dichotomy and Future View of the World at Large As India has reached a defining point in it's history of 1,000,000,000 people to feed, clothe and provide shelter for and where it is predicted to become the most populous nation on Earth over the next few decades, it is becoming more apparent by the day that the future world will be an increasingly hostile and aggressive environment. Indeed, to put things into perspective there are now nearly a 1/4 of a million extra people each day to feed, clothe and to provide shelter for in the world-at-large. Even conservative estimates now say that by 2025 population growth will have reached 8.5 billion people and by 2050 to a staggering 10.5 billion. Conversely to the thoughts of the moderates there are some eminent scientist who now predict that there will be 9.5 billion and 12.5 billion people respectively living on Planet Earth. One of these is HM government adviser Professor Christopher Leaver who has said even this year that there will be a further 3 billion inhabitants to feed in another two and half decades from now. Although, the most sinister of things that are emerging from this future scenario is the increasing poverty, physical suffering, disease, lack of the basics for the support of life (drinking water et al) and the growing probability of a global war fuelled by the emergence of many smaller wars in the world-at-large and which will have the essence of becoming one holistic war. And in this respect the greatest problem for the wealthy industrial world will undoubtedly be 'Containment'. For 'containing' an escalating spread of violence will be almost impossible. The world's salvation does not reside either in current Global Economic Development (GED) or 'Globalisation' as its present course and philosophy will |
unfortunately give little respite in the growth of these increasingly inhumane characteristics of human life. The reason, the addition in numbers
of people who will be seeking jobs in future years to purely live, will subdue all the likelihood of any increased labour payments.
This will keep poverty permanently in check and to the demise of the majority of the world's future people. Indeed, projections
indicate that in twenty-five years time global poverty will effect 75% of all and by 2050 that will have grown to be 85% of the
world's population. Or putting this in numbers in the world of tomorrow, around 1.5 billion people and no more will live in an
environment of great wealth and comfort whilst over 9 billion people will live in dire misery and sustainable depression. Indeed,
if the pessimists are right these figures will be 1.5 billion and 11 billion people respectively. In a world where the majority of
people are so-called believers in God this cannot be right.
Complacency for many |
people who live in the 'West' will say that our superior weaponry will keep these poverty ravaged nations in check, but one has to understand that if one has nothing to lose
and that life is simply not worth living, these nations will at some point be driven to this sheer 'madness' - the reason why the
world has to start looking at new economic and social policies for 'ALL' . For if not, self-interest and greed of the few will
eventually metamorphosize itself into the decline and death of a once rich environment that we presently call our 'Western'
civilisation. When one considers the mounting problems that the future planet will inherit, the world has a mere twenty to thirty years at the most to deactivate this fearful destiny. Therefore our governments, our financial institutions and our major corporations of the world have to start now in reducing the 'market forces' philosophy that destroys more lives than it saves and begin the new world with the all encompassing economics of the 21st century, the theory of 'Reciprocal Economics'. Until this happens, the world-at-large will come ever closer each day to the inevitable abyss that it is clearly heading for on its present course and direction. Therefore things have to change and they have to change quickly, for in another two to three short decades from now, things will have started to get out of normal control. Indeed, one has to understand that whilst there were only a world population of 1,262 million people in 1850 and adequate resources (land to cultivate and seas to fish) for the people to exist, currently we cannot feed, clothe and house the 6,000 million people that exist today, so how on earth can we hope to do this with possibly 12,500 million inhabitants in a mere 50 years time or so from now? We therefore hope that governments especially will listen to what the Foundation has to say and what has to be done. |
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| www.thewif.org.uk - The World Innovation Foundation - October 1999 - March 2000 |  |
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