That sounds doable.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS179345870320110118
Lester Brown, founder of both the Worldwatch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), where he currently serves as president, says he is certain that climate change-induced droughts, water shortages and flooding from heavy rains pose urgent danger to global food security.
The 76-year-old pioneer of American environmentalism and sustainable development has authored or co-authored over 50 books in his decades-long career — many of which warn about the risks of the overconsumption natural resources. His latest work, “World on the Edge,” details a planet teetering on the brink of “politically destabilizing food price rises.”
The world is creating a “food bubble,” he says, which could theoretically burst “at any time now.”
“The new reality is that the world is only one poor harvest away from chaos,” Brown told reporters on a conference call to launch his new book. If a heatwave on par with Russia’s struck the U.S. — the world’s largest grain exporter by far — it would trigger “chaos in world grain markets,” he said.
Need to ‘Stabilize Climate,’ Not Chase Techno-Fixes
Something fundamental is affecting world supply of cereals, Brown continued, adding that “we need to be thinking about how to stabilize climate.”
Perhaps he ought to transfer some of that cold from the Sea of Okhotsk.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110118/162186130.html
His point about “one poor harvest away from chaos,” is accurate enough if the poor harvest is a global/major-production-site one.
It’s kind of absurd that today’s market forces / government policies preclude the maintenance of effective large grain reserve storage. Personally, I fail to see why the US should not form a food-grains OPEC type syndicate and squeeze the oil producers back. Starvation would clarify their minds wonderfully and improve our balance of payments nicely.
The sad fact is that he is right, the world is only one bad harvest away from a serious food crisis. It is even sadder that crazies like him continue to believe that global warming will be the culprit when history suggests that global cooling will be the likely cause.
For his sake and for the sake of everyone in the world, I hope that we have a forgiving god (or whatever deity you believe in) for god gave us warmth and prosperity, and we declared his blessings to be the greatest challenge facing mankind. I pray that the cooling that is now occurring will not lead to famines and pestillence as has occured in the past.
No, not a serious food crises – a serious food price inflation crises. There will still be enough food, but people are already grumbling about the prices. And it will only get worse as grains are used to create Ethanol in order to mitigate AGW (stupid, yes, but do not tell them that).
At 76 he was not much of a leader in Sustainable Development at any time in his career. For proof just look at the current condition of the globe. I think the guy spent his career making wild ass claims and taking other peoples money to pay for his drug habit! or whatever he has been on to give him delusions of having done anything for humanity.
Just like the other members of the old guard Chicken Little Brigade as represented by the Presidents Science adviser!
If a heatwave on par with Russia’s struck the U.S. — the world’s largest grain exporter by far —
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Good ‘ol Lester
And not one single word about the millions that starved when we converted grain to fuel……..
…oh wait, that was their idea
We had chaos in the grain markets during the years 1930, 1933, 1934 and 1936. Those were four terrible harvets, not just one, due to drought and excessive heat. It was called the Dust Bowl! The US was importing grain!
How, pray tell does Mr. Brown intend to set the world thermostat in such a manner to prevent a recurrence?
He’ll need a good asbestos suit to succeed. Solar variation looks to be responsible for almost all the long term climatic variation that can be seen in the 350 years of the CET. Maybe if he can get NASA on board he can fly up there and play with the Sun’s dimmer knob.