Return of rationing to the UK
Ellee has a great thought provoking post on food rationing here and in the USA, as well as highlighting the rather silly choices we have when we shop.
Ask yourself, do you feel good about being able to decide between Sainsbury at the Nook in South Shields, Aldi on Chichester Road, or Lidle at Laygate, when others around the world have absolutely no choice at all?
I guess our own gripes about rising food prices are firmly put in their place when we see what’s happening in the developing countries.
There are some who argue that the changing diet of the Chinese is to blame, with their new found liking for burgers and BBQs creating a necessity to grow fields of grain to fatten cows instead of growing rice, there are others who blame the loss of agricultural land given over to grow various crops to feed the fad for biofuels.
It seems that some of our sensibilities over climate change are getting in the way of a free market that once determined what the world ate, how much it grew, and how self sufficient we could all be (assuming that we farmed land that the local weather favoured for growth.)
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Curly, there is little doubt that due to the increasing use and demand for biofuels (and thus the use of crops and corn to produce such fuel accounting for a 20 rise in the prices of such commodities) food and fuel prices are tied more closely than ever.
However, with NYMEX crude hitting $120, a near 100% increase inside a year, coupled with the current global economic problems we cannot abandon biofuels. Further more such an action would surely serve to drive up food prices as higher oil prices in turn push prices of fertilisers and logistical costs.
Brazilian ethanol, made from sugar cane, is an option and an interesting article in the FT suggests that the US and Europe should consider opening their markets to this as the effect on agricultre would be small. We also cannot ignore EU targets to meet 10% of its fuel demand from biofuels by 2020.
The point I am making is that the oil and food price rises we are experiencing are unsustainable. Global food prices have risen on average 40% in the last 12 months.
Oil prices are out of control and I confidently (just my personal opinion mind) predict NYMEX crude to be $200 a barrel by the end of this year. Labour tell us that the situation is under control. My view is that we are just at the beginning of this economic downturn.
Comment by David Potts — April 26, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
If we’re apportioning blame here, I think the ‘free market’ and globalisation win out over climate change sensibilities, Curly.
One thing’s clear: we need to start weaning ourselves off oil.
Comment by Michael — April 27, 2008 @ 11:54 am
I can agree with that Michael but I don’t think that growing crops specifically for biofuels is the answer. I’d rather see the investment going into fuel cell technologies rather than chopping down rain forests and converting paddy fields into alternative grains.
Biofuels only attract me when they renew and re-use waste products such as spent vegetable oils.
Comment by curly — April 27, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
Hmmm, perhaps I should have said weaning ourselves off cars…
I’m not sure biofuels are much more than a fad. I agree, they’re certainly not worth cutting down rainforests for.
Comment by Michael — April 27, 2008 @ 5:28 pm