Fossil fuels are at the epicenter of the political ecology of the world food system. The direct correlation that fossil fuels have on various feedback loops are a fundamental concept to understand. The economical aspects of utilizing fossil fuels are enormous and were the reason for rapid growth coming into the 21st century. The results of such growth have led to oil spills, nuclear leakage and other forms of pollution, we must understand that our destructive actions have larger consequences than we realize. Though many will argue that the Earth has its own way of protecting itself and filtering out pollution, we cannot condone the extinction of species on our part under any circumstances.
The video below titled “Man On the Land” is exceptionally representational of the global food system. Oil is what gave man the power to work the land and foster a new generation of industrialization. Through much trial and error and catastrophic environmental destruction came better and cleaner technologies of extracting and utilizing fossil fuels. Today, sustainable ways of producing energy are becoming widespread and our dependence on fossil fuels for energy could be dwindling. The advent of renewable energy is only just taking form. Other forms of energy, such as hydrogen and solar power will allow us to transport goods and services more efficiently and at less of an expense to nature. Certainly, humankind must develop a divine respect for nature in order to understand it, and in our pursuit of survival our role can only be to save it. Naturally, to combat situations like the World Food Crisis of 2008, governments and organizations ought to realize new methods to decrease the cost of energy and lessen the burden that providing goods and services has on the environment. One thing is for sure, global prices of all goods fluctuate based off the price of oil, as it is still our number one energy source; involved in every corner of the economy.