Breakfast

Running Head: Ecological and Economic Perspective

Human Consumption

From an Ecological and Economic Perspective

John Warga

Kaplan University

SC300-15: Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation

Professor DeSilva

May 5, 2010

Our current economic system only seems to be dependent on an ever-increasing population. Actually, with increased density, some people benefit while others suffer. All non-human life suffers from human increase, but economic systems ignore that cost since it doesn’t have a price tag. Although everyone on Earth could theoretically be fed, the fact remains that they simply are not. Billions of people are not getting enough to eat, and many are starving to death. Efforts to eliminate hunger are quickly consumed by ever more members of our human family.

In 1970, when the global human population stood at 3.7 billion, the main architect of the Green Revolution, Norman Borlaug, said:

“There can be no permanent progress in the battle against hunger until the agencies that fight for increased food production and those that fight for population control unite in a common effort. Fighting alone, they may win temporary skirmishes, but united they can win a decisive and lasting victory to provide food and other amenities of a progressive civilization for the benefit of all mankind.” (Borlaug 1970)

For his contributions to the world food supply, Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

Instead, the entire increased agricultural yield has been gobbled up by population growth. Food production has almost kept up with us, but at a huge ecological cost. Farming on performance-enhancing drugs produces more food, but it’s at the expense of long-term fertility of the soil.

Food is any substance, composed of carbohydrates, water, fats and/or proteins, which are either eaten or drunk by any animal, including humans, for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or another kingdom such as fungus....