Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
15 Conclusions
THE PARADOX OF INDUSTRIALIZED FOOD PRODUCTION
Before the fossil fuel era, procurement of food was the activity that took most of the time of
our predecessors. Daily chores were mostly about food growth and its preservation for the rest
of the year. Then thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit, some individuals, started growing food
in volumes that exceeded their own needs and were able to sell the surplus to other people.
This practice evolved until some of them became full-time food producers. In the last century,
advancements in crop sciences, food processing, and the input of inexpensive fossil fuels and
nonrenewable resources made food an abundant commoditized item. Without the worry of
food scarcity, most people became capable of pursuing other interests in life, laying the foun-
dation of division of labor that is prominent in today's society.
Similar to what would happen in any other biological system, where the number of indi-
viduals in a population is dictated by the amount of food, the human population has grown to
levels unimaginable without the constant input of low-cost energy and highly specialized
agriculture. This is the irony of the story: the world as it is known today is in part due to abun-
dant inexpensive food that is subsidized by inexpensive fuel and other nonrenewable resources.
Once the availability of these resources starts to decline, consequences will follow. Because
there are still resources left, we need to find replacements for fossil fuels and also become
more efficient in the use of declining natural resources. If not, the complex world network that
has been created so successfully will eventually come to a dead stop.
THE CORNERSTONES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Among all the needs for the future, long-term sustainability is strictly dependent on four
cornerstones (Fig. 15.1):
1. Energy.
2. Water.
3. Materials.
4. Theenvironment.
These are not the only foreseeable problems. Other issues, such as population growth, disease,
education, and food security, are not less important, but these four cornerstones represent the
