Friday, May 9, 2008

Animal Planet:

Will Bart Simpson Save the World?

Homer would think it was a joke. Lisa would be insanely jealous. But the truth may be stranger than fiction: Is Bart Simpson a diplomat in disguise?

By: Angus Macdonald, Stakeholder Forum

Let’s all watch the Simpsons

CSD 16 has taken place amidst an acute global food crisis that has caused a tightening of the belts in some countries and outright riots and disorder in others. The prices of rice, wheat and of grains generally have soared. Over the next two weeks governments and civil society will pour over various solutions to ease the pressure on the millions of hungry around the world. But should we all be watching the Simpsons instead? The answer to the crisis may be as simple as a cartoon characters off the cuff remark: “Don’t have a cow, man!” The best way to ease the global food crisis may be a simple one – eat less meat.

Record harvests – not for human consumption

Shockingly, of the 2.13billion tonnes of global grain that will be consumed this year (incidentally, a record amount and more than 5% of last year’s production), only 1.01 billion of it will reach human stomachs (Food and Agriculture Organisation, April 2008. Crop Prospects and Food Situation). Many people lay the blame for this statistic on biofuels. Of course, feeding cars instead of humans is not an insignificant factor in the food crisis; biofuels will take away 100million tonnes from human mouths this year according to FAO. More startling, however, is the statistic that 760million tonnes will feed animals.

More rich carnivores

Millions of people in the emerging economies are getting rich, and getting rich quickly. In China, while 30 years ago eating meat may have been a luxury reserved only for special occasions, newly affluent middle classes are eating meat on a daily basis. This pattern is being repeated in many developing countries. The demand for meat across the world is soaring, but at what cost?

Hungry Cows

Beef cattle eat about 8kg of grain for every kilogram of meat they produce, while a kilogram of chicken needs just 2kg of grain. Clearly the human consumption of cows and other types of red meat is causing a huge strain on the environment and on food supplies. Delegates at the CSD have spoken constantly this week about the evil of biofuels, but what of the cow that robs 8kg of grain from human stomachs? Even if giving up meat is unthinkable, switching from beef to chicken would save about 6kg of grain for every kilogram consumed. How about swapping that beef steak for a chicken curry? Or better, a vegetarian option?

Telling people what they can and can’t eat is even more difficult than telling people what they can and can’t put in their cars. However, education about just how much food is being given to animals instead of humans might change behaviour, especially in those countries where the food crisis is being felt most.

Eat my shorts? Best not…

The truth is that there is actually enough food around the world, it is just not reaching human stomachs. Governments and all stakeholders need to take steps to ensure that more food reaches the dinner table rather than farms and car engines. Bart Simpson may have been right when he stated his distaste for beef. This columnist however does not advocate Bart’s other dietary advice: eating your shorts will not solve the food crisis and will probably give you indigestion.

Don't have a cow, man.