Sustainability
From IssuesBriefs
Overview
The question of sustainability of current global activities is a hot topic at the moment. The global food crisis is intertwined with this issue regarding current food consumption being higher than food production, fuel shortages affecting the transportation of food as well as the environmental effects of transporting foods around the world. The sustainability of these practices is questionable and the need to address the issues is pressing. The question of whether to protect previously untouched land or utilise such areas for food production arises. Ultimately, it is a decision of which is more important: feeding more humans in the short term or preserving nature and the diversity of species which will surely be destroyed otherwise. Supporting more humans by farming more and more land seems to be only a short term solution, as there is a finite amount of land on the Earth which will inevitably run out. Perhaps this solution is merely postponing a sustainable solution and in the meantime, further perpetuating the problem. Conversely, choosing environmental preservation will be at the cost of human lives.
In addition to the sustainability of farming and agricultural needs, increasing global population results in more arable land being used for housing rather than food production. This is especially obvious in Australia, with large houses with few occupants and sprawling cities.
Ultimately there are needs for creative intellectualism, increased innovation and cultural change. Ideas such as inner city gardens and farming, on the rooftops of buildings or buildings designated to farming with recycled water may not be realistic answers however such ideas are important to be considered in order to sustain humans on this increasingly small and over-utilised planet.
Contributors
- Max Rheese - Australian Environment Foundation [1]
- Rowan Reid - Farm Forestry Lecturer at University of Melbourne
Articles
