Food Rationing Forced On Middle Classes In The West

[Sheer Heart Attack]

High food prices may force aid rationing

Financial Times

By Javier Blas in Washington and Gillian Tett in London

Published: February 24 2008 22:02 | Last updated: February 24 2008 22:02

The United Nation’s agency responsible for relieving hunger is drawing up plans to ration food aid in response to the spiralling cost of agricultural commodities...

WFP officials hope the cuts can be avoided, but warned that the agency’s budget requirements were rising by several million dollars a week because of climbing food prices.

The WFP crisis talks come as the body sees the emergence of a “new area of hunger” in developing countries where even middle-class, urban people are being “priced out of the food market” because of rising food prices.

The warning suggests that the price jump in agricultural commodities – such as wheat, corn, rice and soyabeans – is having a wider impact than thought, hitting countries that have previously largely escaped hunger.

This is scary stuff now. Very scary.

UN can't get enough aid in because of basic food price spiral. Many traditional donor countries strapped for cash because of the credit crunch can't up the ante. Millions of acres of arable land lost to "biofuel" because of the cult of global warming. More money spent on food feeds into depressed housing market as disposable income must fall.

Jonathan Porrit and all the global warming cultists - stand against the wall and be prepared to be shot.

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

High food prices may force aid rationing

Financial Times

By Javier Blas in Washington and Gillian Tett in London

Published: February 24 2008 22:02 | Last updated: February 24 2008 22:02

This is scary stuff now. Very scary.

UN can't get enough aid in because of basic food price spiral. Many traditional donor countries strapped for cash because of the credit crunch can't up the ante. Millions of acres of arable land lost to "biofuel" because of the cult of global warming. More money spent on food feeds into depressed housing market as disposable income must fall.

Jonathan Porrit and all the global warming cultists - stand against the wall and be prepared to be shot.

After the rotting bodies, widespread famine and civil unrest will reduce future carbon emissions.

I'm sure there are a few estate agents who could move into selling some of our post industrial economy carbon tax credits to African and other countries worst hit by the famine to allow them to bury their dead in a carbon neutral fashion.

[Minos]

After the rotting bodies, widespread famine and civil unrest will reduce future carbon emissions.

I'm sure there are a few estate agents who could move into selling some of our post industrial economy carbon tax credits to African and other countries worst hit by the famine to allow them to bury their dead in a carbon neutral fashion.

Just think of all the cuddly polar bears it will save.

[lulu]

High food prices may force aid rationing

UN can't get enough aid in because of basic food price spiral. Many traditional donor countries strapped for cash because of the credit crunch can't up the ante. Millions of acres of arable land lost to "biofuel" because of the cult of global warming. More money spent on food feeds into depressed housing market as disposable income must fall.

But the Biofuel trend is being fuelled (so to speak) but the record price and demand for oil. No matter what the environmentalists say, with oil so expensive alternatives like biofuels are becoming more attractive.

They can produce as much hot air as they want with regards to global warming and bio fuels the fact is that it will only be adopted if it is financially viable.

[kingsgate]

We in the rich countries will still be able to afford food.

Those whol will starve will be peasants in Africa and Asia.

The world could do with a few less squillion people.

So we don't have too much to worry about, do we?

[Minos]

We in the rich countries will still be able to afford food.

Those whol will starve will be peasants in Africa and Asia.

The world could do with a few less squillion people.

So we don't have too much to worry about, do we?

We only need to worry about the poor countries who have nukes.

[Far Out Bear]

High food prices may force aid rationing

Financial Times

By Javier Blas in Washington and Gillian Tett in London

Published: February 24 2008 22:02 | Last updated: February 24 2008 22:02

This is scary stuff now. Very scary.

UN can't get enough aid in because of basic food price spiral. Many traditional donor countries strapped for cash because of the credit crunch can't up the ante. Millions of acres of arable land lost to "biofuel" because of the cult of global warming. More money spent on food feeds into depressed housing market as disposable income must fall.

Jonathan Porrit and all the global warming cultists - stand against the wall and be prepared to be shot.

Yep. The global warming nut jobs and the biofuel nonsense is all just 'noise' and is simply stuff 'along for the ride'. The basic issue here is peak oil.

Hundreds of millions of people will perish. Possibly billions. Peak oil is NO laughing matter, certainly not something to be so dismissed out of hand that the majority of westerners have never even heard of the concept.

But, in the end, millions die around the world all the time... the difference this time is that the grim reaper will be visiting the west for the first time in nearly a hundred years.

[Minos]

Yep. The global warming nut jobs and the biofuel nonsense is all just 'noise' and is simply stuff 'along for the ride'. The basic issue here is peak oil.

Hundreds of millions of people will perish. Possibly billions. Peak oil is NO laughing matter, certainly not something to be so dismissed out of hand that the majority of westerners have never even heard of the concept.

But, in the end, millions die around the world all the time... the difference this time is that the grim reaper will be visiting the west for the first time in nearly a hundred years.

Good job we have people working to maintain our greedy share then. Unless of course some want to perish too.

[Justice]

We in the rich countries will still be able to afford food.

Those whol will starve will be peasants in Africa and Asia.

The world could do with a few less squillion people.

So we don't have too much to worry about, do we?

Well yes you do have to worry as food prices have only just started to go up and you can bet bio-fules will see much more farming land turned into producing petrol and for you that means a massive increase in what you will be paying at the Tesco's !

Add on to that rising taxes and economic slowdown and we ourselves could face an economic crash simular to 1928 if not worse and then it's soup kitchens for millions of people here in the west.

[Far Out Bear]

Good job we have people working to maintain our greedy share then. Unless of course some want to perish too.

Catch 22.

[Minos]

Catch 22.

Not really. It's crystal clear for me.

[Compounded]

As Ghandi said we should all do our bit even though it seems insignificant it is important we do it.

1. Do not waste food - 50% is currently thrown away.

2. Eat more grains, beans and potatoes and less meat, 100 Kcal of beef needs 700 Kcal of grain to produce it.

3. Where we can grow our own food - even planting an apple tree helps.

[gravity always wins]

Jonathan Porrit and all the global warming cultists - stand against the wall and be prepared to be shot.

No I'm afraid its politicians again very few environmentalists have been calling for this.

This is pretty much down to EU policy statements.

Biofuels are a complete non starter in so many ways and within a year will be largely dropped (although I can see it possibly being restricted to agriculture itself).

I wouldn't count on the biofuel fad making anyone too much more money.

[chichi]

http://li-la-lo.blogspot.com/2008/01/weekl...ross-globe.html

This has the global weekly shop on it. It's very interesting.

When you see what the last lot eat for a week you'll be suprised.

[AteMoose]

As Ghandi said we should all do our bit even though it seems insignificant it is important we do it.

1. Do not waste food - 50% is currently thrown away.

2. Eat more grains, beans and potatoes and less meat, 100 Kcal of beef needs 700 Kcal of grain to produce it.

3. Where we can grow our own food - even planting an apple tree helps.

if everyone did point 3 the british economy would go into meltdown, less people shopping in tesco and people are gardening rather than shopping...

[AteMoose]

http://li-la-lo.blogspot.com/2008/01/weekl...ross-globe.html

This has the global weekly shop on it. It's very interesting.

When you see what the last lot eat for a week you'll be suprised.

very interesting, in 'personal' quantity of food per week we/im between Egypt and Ecuador... Shame there isnt a 'typical' british family on there, ie frozen everything and takeouts ;p IMO there is alot of slack in the west, families could survive on alot less.

Edited February 26, 2008 by moosetea

[Optobear]

Yep. The global warming nut jobs and the biofuel nonsense is all just 'noise' and is simply stuff 'along for the ride'. The basic issue here is peak oil.

Hundreds of millions of people will perish. Possibly billions. Peak oil is NO laughing matter, certainly not something to be so dismissed out of hand that the majority of westerners have never even heard of the concept.

But, in the end, millions die around the world all the time... the difference this time is that the grim reaper will be visiting the west for the first time in nearly a hundred years.

Not even peak oil. Simple population growth. Another exponential growth, just like property prices in the UK. Exponentials grow so massively, and most non-maths savvy people don't get just how rapidly they grow.

Exponential growth of any use of resources means disaster - always.

In this case we need to be talking birth control, our government not trading with nations exceeding 2.0 children per female. Unfortunately the religious nuts won't allow that to be even discussed.

[Selling up]

Jonathan Porrit and all the global warming cultists - stand against the wall and be prepared to be shot.

As far as I recall it is not environmentalists who have been pressing for biofuels.

[fluffy666]

Not even peak oil. Simple population growth. Another exponential growth, just like property prices in the UK. Exponentials grow so massively, and most non-maths savvy people don't get just how rapidly they grow.

Exponential growth of any use of resources means disaster - always.

In this case we need to be talking birth control, our government not trading with nations exceeding 2.0 children per female. Unfortunately the religious nuts won't allow that to be even discussed.

And some people with basic math training will tell you that population growth is not following a simple exponential, and so is not growing so massively. Prosperity and urban living both reduce the birth rate, by turning children from an asset to a liability.

Even so, basic calculations show we have sufficient recoverable nuclear fuels to sustain a 10% growth rate for around 90-100 years, by which time energy usage on Earth alone would exceed the solar flux.. (those with imagination will realise that what this really means is a practically unlimited supply).

And yes, man made global warming is reality, conventional oil is at or very near peak, and both these problems have engineering/scientific solutions that are relatively cheap and unintrusive, if the scientific/engineering types were allowed to make policy instead of raving ideologues of one stripe or another...

[Injin]

As far as I recall it is not environmentalists who have been pressing for biofuels.

Nope, ythey have been using the government to change the incenitives to use them instead via legislation, taxaton and mad "we are all going to die" global warming propaganda, which is worse.

Food gets more expensive, peopel grow their own more, not a problem, nothing to see here.

Oil gets more expensive, people do different things, not a problem, nothing to see here.

Edited February 26, 2008 by Injin

[waitingandsaving]

And some people with basic math training will tell you that population growth is not following a simple exponential, and so is not growing so massively. Prosperity and urban living both reduce the birth rate, by turning children from an asset to a liability.

I read somewhere (probably here, on another thread, or in the news blog..) that population growth is running at 1.35%, but that food production growth is running at 1.30%. I remember the difference seeming very minor, but in reality it meant that the sh!t would hit the fan, and quite quickly.

[PricedOutNative]

There really does not seem to be any clear data on peak oil, I’ve know about it since I was ten, when our teacher made us watch a video on it, it predicted we’d run out in twenty years ( this was in the early 80’s) It really annoyed me as I was already looking forward to having my own car when I was older….

It would seem obvious that it is a finite resource but how much is really out there if we look harder and smaller fields become viable due to higher oil prices. Why are we using oil in such a frivols way if it’s soon to become much scarcer? Why are huge well funded institutions investing in things like airports?

We need to see oil prices slowly increase above inflation year after year so that we can get busy working on the replacement technologies..

Surely a global plague, nuclear war or a super volcano are more worrying issues..

Yep. The global warming nut jobs and the biofuel nonsense is all just 'noise' and is simply stuff 'along for the ride'. The basic issue here is peak oil.

Hundreds of millions of people will perish. Possibly billions. Peak oil is NO laughing matter, certainly not something to be so dismissed out of hand that the majority of westerners have never even heard of the concept.

But, in the end, millions die around the world all the time... the difference this time is that the grim reaper will be visiting the west for the first time in nearly a hundred years.

Edited February 26, 2008 by PricedOutNative

[Bardon]

Surely a global plague, nuclear war or a super volcano are more worrying issues..

Rising oil prices and supply disruptions will be the cause of the nuclear war

[tenant447]

Surely a global plague, nuclear war or a super volcano are more worrying issues..

What is really worrying is how the (approximately) 100,000,000,000 cells inside my head produce the illusion of a separate self or "me".

Not to mention the constructed virtual reality which that self accepts and promotes as genuine.

[Sheer Heart Attack]

Let's not forget the effect on house prices.

If the average family spends £100 a week on food and food inflation is 10%, that's an extra £40 a month going on food. That's the equivalent to a 50 basis points rise on interest rates and more on a £100,000 mortgage.