Our environment and the natural resources within it have quickly become a topic of scarcity and political power. One of the most valuable natural resources has developed an new competitive market across the world. By the time we enter the year 2100, experts predict that over half the world’s population will experience water scarcity. Like drilling for oil, the most politically strong and heavily financed companies will become powerhouses in the future of our water industry. We are already seeing the effects of smaller farmers being pushed off their lands and being replaced with bigger farms that can afford to dig deeper into the earth’s soil to receive more water for irrigation. We are also observing a similar pattern regarding the development of genetically modified foods. Concentration of power and wealth have brought companies such as Monsanto, that plants a massive 90% of seed crops in the United States. Thousands of acres of land are being sacrificed to become land for crops and pastures for livestock, including ‘land grabs’ that impact foreign populations that then impact their own food systems. The agricultural methods we use, such as deforestation, are leaving a large carbon footprint. Livestock GHG emissions alone account for nearly a quarter of our global emission rate. The race to the top is creating a divide between populations across the world, creating regional and global tensions that will peak when scarcity becomes something we cannot ignore. As we continue to harvest with a consumption-based mentality, ecological problems such as overharvesting, pollution and habitat loss will diminish our food and water systems for many generations to come.
Picture Source: https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/the-last-drop-mark-fuller.jpg