Tag Archives: peak food

A Strong Case for the Anthropocene: no other species has ever consumed so much of earth’s resources so quickly

Posted on September 24, 2020 by

Figure 1. Produced energy and the pattern of human population growth from 1750. Utilization of these energy sources, together with the energy used by humans from net primary production, is now approaching the entire energy available to the global ecosystem … Continue reading →

Posted in ! PEAK EVERYTHING, Climate Change, Human Nature | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Book review of Dirt: the erosion of civilization

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

Preface. On average civilizations collapsed after 800 to 2,000 years because they’d destroyed their topsoil. Today, industrial agriculture is doing this far faster – in most of the United States half of the original topsoil is gone from the richest … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Peak Food, Soil | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

75% of Earth’s Land Areas Are Degraded. Environmental damage threatens 3.2 billion people.

Posted on December 1, 2018 by

  Preface. Yikes, by 2050 95% of Earth’s land could be degraded and reduce or even end food production, forcing hundreds of millions to migrate. Whatever you’ve read in the past about the State of the World, it’s gotten even … Continue reading →

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We’re killing our food supply and technology can’t save us

Posted on November 12, 2017 by

Farrell, Paul B. Feb 11, 2015. Opinion: We’re killing our food supply and technology can’t save us. Big Ag can’t feed 10 billion and magical technologies won’t appear.  MarketWatch. We’re maxing-out on Peak Food. Billions go hungry. We’re poisoning our … Continue reading →

Posted in Fertilizer, Peak Food | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Peak food. Sustainability challenged as many renewable resources max out

Posted on October 8, 2016 by

Preface. Also see related article Limits to Growth? 2016 United Nations report provides best evidence yet. This new article shows that climate change is already affecting harvests of the world’s top 10 crops that comprise 83% of our calories: barley, … Continue reading →

Posted in Limits To Growth, Peak Food | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Peak soil, peak phosphate, peak fertilizer means Peak Food

Posted on May 9, 2015 by

Amundson, R., et al. May 7, 2015. Soil and human security in the 21st century. Science 348. A group of leading soil scientists has summarized the precarious state of the world’s soil resources and the possible ramifications for human security … Continue reading →

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The Nitrogen Bomb – fossil-fueled fertilizers keep 5.5 billion people alive

Posted on September 30, 2014 by

Fisher, D. 4 April 2001. The Nitrogen Bomb. By learning to draw fertilizer from a clear blue sky, chemists have fed the multitudes. They’ve also unleashed a fury as threatening as atomic energy. Discover magazine Vol. 22 No. 4 In … Continue reading →

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‘The oil we eat’. Following the food chain back to iraq

Posted on March 21, 2014 by

[I’ve reduced and paraphrased the article ] Richard Manning.   May 23, 2004. ‘The Oil We Eat’. Following the Food Chain back to Iraq. Harpers. The journalist’s rule says: follow the money.. but money.. is really a way of tracking … Continue reading →

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