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The Silent Tsunami: Global Food Crisis
Causes and Effects; Oil & Gas Prices
Karen Warnick
The Pioneer
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Using the analogy of a tsunami for the food crisis works equally well for the
rising costs of gas and oil and the belief by many experts that we are running
out of oil. Except in this case, the tsunami has not been so silent. We’ve
known for decades that we would reach the tipping point that we are at today,
and we haven’t done anything about it. There is a raging debate about whether
there is enough oil to continue our consumptive lifestyle, especially with the
rise in demand from developing countries. Scientists who support the idea of
“peak oil” say the amount of oil produced in the world each year has already or
will soon begin a downward slide.
What is “peak oil”? It is the idea that, whether or not we have a limited supply
in the ground or not, the rising demand and the ability to extract that oil follow
a bell curve. Oil will not just "run out". This is true whether we're talking
about an individual field, a country, or on the planet as a whole. Oil is
increasingly plentiful on the upslope of the bell curve, increasingly scarce and
expensive on the down slope. The peak of the curve coincides with the point at
which the endowment of oil has been 50 percent depleted. Once the peak is
passed, oil production begins to go down while cost begins to go up.
We have been living on the upslope of that curve. Light, sweet crude was easy
to reach and pump out of the ground. Supply was meeting demand. But as the
demand for oil has risen, we no longer have vast amounts of the easy oil to
meet our needs, the price of energy expended in extracting that oil is not equal
to the energy output of that oil, and it will continue to be more expensive to
find, extract and use that oil. We are at the top of the curve and, according to
which expert you believe, are poised to start a steep downward spiral or have
already gone over the edge. Many believe that technology will save the day,
that there is plenty of oil and gas and the oil companies are just trying to make
a buck. Okay, but why have prices risen so suddenly? Why have we enjoyed a
slow, steady, stable rise in gas prices for decades and this year alone has seen
over a $1 a gallon increase in a few short months? It doesn’t really matter. As
soon as we face a crisis, the finger pointing starts, the blame game is practiced
by all, and trying to find solutions takes a back seat.
If there is enough oil to last forever, why has there been such a huge increase
in the prices all of a sudden? If there is price speculation and gouging and
those few who are getting rich while the rest of the world goes broke, why are
we allowing it? Why, all of a sudden, do those in control feel it necessary to
make all the money they can as quickly as the can? Do they know something
we don’t? Why haven’t new oil refineries been built in this country in the last
30 years?
Regardless of whether or not you believe any of the experts about our future
way of life, the facts remain: energy prices have a direct impact on food prices
and prices of everything have never gone back down. Indeed, high oil prices
affect most all prices. Oil is used both to make and transport most products,
including food. As the price of crude rises, (at this writing the price of oil has
surpassed $146 a barrel) so does the price of almost everything. Many are
blaming speculators on the stock markets. An article by Nomi Prins, who is a
writer for Mother Jones and a former Bear Stearns analyst, published last
month points the finger at the commodity speculators. “Indeed, the current
agricultural price bubble has produced record highs in soybeans and wheat as
well. Against this backdrop, a clueless Congress passed US farmer and food-
stamp aid within the recent farm bill, without addressing the possibility that
speculation could be to blame, or that curtailing speculation could help alleviate
the domestic and global food crisis.” The article can be found here.
Again, it doesn’t really matter to the average person who is to blame. The
problem lies with us, a society that assumes food comes from a grocery store
and that we could easily feed everyone who comes in the door (The US has 30%
less food than what it takes to feed our own population on any given day).
Many continue to believe that everyone in government is looking out for us and
will fix the problems we have. All we have to do is to continue to ignore the
problem and it will go away.
With the way our current system of production is setup, everything depends on
cheap gas. We have outsourced our manufacturing base (although that is
starting to reverse itself, due ironically to high fuel costs), we import more than
we export, food is shipped thousands of miles before it reaches your plate, and
everything is dependent on someone else getting us what we need. As was
covered in previous articles, those someone’s are profit-driven corporations who
don’t care about doing things fairly, humanely or for the benefit of mankind,
they want their money the cheapest way possible.
Over the past few articles about the food crisis, we have covered the main
causes and some of how it’s affecting us. The world-wide problems are a lot
worse than what is being mentioned in mainstream media. The problems facing
this country are a lot worse then most realize. The housing crisis, the credit
crisis, bank failures, huge job losses, natural disasters, the price of everything
skyrocketing; it is not going to go away. Everything is related. Everything and
everyone on this planet are now connected and problems half way around the
world do cause problems for everyone. This is most evident when it comes down
to being able to feed yourself and your family. What will you do when the
trucks stop running because they can no longer afford the price of gas? What
will you do when the grocery store shelves are empty and won’t be filled in the
near future? Forget about paying the mortgage, filling the gas tank so you can
get to work…how are you going to survive it you can’t eat? It’s kind of hard to
outrun a tsunami, unless you have advance warning.
In the last few articles on The Silent Tsunami, we will look at what is being
done by those who have paid attention to the warning signs and have started to
find solutions for themselves. It is no longer smart to wait for someone else to
fix things. It is no longer in our best interests to let the corporations and
governments decide what is best for us. It’s time for each of us individually, in
families and in local communities to prepare for the coming tsunami.
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