The human ecology of climate change - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 420

section 7.1.4 on food). This post-agricultural dominance can be seen in virtually all
countries. Consequently, post-agricultural commercial concerns have shaped much
of the way the non-subsistence proportion of the global population feeds itself. Today
people in developed nations are used to eating out-of-season produce and products
that have a high energy intensity (again, see section 7.1.4). Irrespective of climate
change there is the very important question (worthy of a textbook in its own right) of
how the global population of the 21st century will feed itself.
In summary, and remembering the backdrop of growing population, the position
as revealed by FAO data to date since the middle of the last century is as follows.
Annual grain production (which includes wheat, maize [corn] and rice) increased
from around 500 million t to around 1800-1900 million t in the 1990s, when
it peaked and levelled off. Conversely per-capita grain production has stabilised
at around 290-330 kg year − 1 since the 1970s and indeed the trend has been
downwards since a mid-1980s peak.
Annual meat production (more than 90% of which is pork, poultry and beef)
increased from 44 million t in 1950 to 237 million t in 2001, whereas average
individual consumption rose from 17.2 kg in 1950 to 39.0 kg in 2002.
The above has been fuelled by fertilizers, global production of which has increased
from 14 million tonnes in 1950 to 120-46 million t in the 1990s.
The global annual fish catch (as opposed to aquaculture, or fish farming) increased
from 19 million t in 1950 to around 92-6 million t in the latter half of the 1990s.
However, against a backdrop of growing global population, the annual catch per
person despite growth since 1950 has levelled off since the mid-1970s to around
15-17.5 kg. Fortunately the global fish supply has been augmented since the 1980s
with aquaculture, the production of which increased from around 7 million t in the
mid-1980s to some 36 million t in 2000.
Those in industrialised countries consume more grain than non-industrialised ones
via animal feed for the increasing meat in their diet. For example, a North American
consumes nearly 10 times as much grain as someone from a sub-Saharan nation.
Middle-income countries also showed an increase in per-capita meat consumption
during the 20th century. Not irrelevant is the increasing incidence of obesity and
diabetes in these countries. Despite this inefficiency in healthy nutrition, globally
those facing chronic hunger have decreased from 956 million people (approxim-
ately 26% of the global population) in 1970 to 815 million (approximately 13%)
in 2002.
Since 1975 politicians in wealthy countries have seemed unconcerned about food
supply. After all, if there is a shortage (irrespective of the cause) of one crop harvest
(especially if restricted to one region) then their nation will have the money to
purchase alternatives on the global food market. In less-wealthy countries matters
are more acute but despite this many in the political classes seem more concerned
(as do their wealthy nation counterparts) with staying in power than with the under-
privileged proportion of their electorate (assuming that their electoral system is not
corrupt in the first place). However, should market circumstances, climate change
extreme events and fossil fuel economics (itself of climate change policy concern)