[Diggers350] Monbiot's conversion, now 'loves' glowing example of Fukushima

[Paul Mobbs]

On Saturday, April 02, 2011 02:52:12 pm you wrote:
> Nitrogen fertilizer doesn't deplete soil of fertility on its own.

Humanity fixes more atmospheric nitrogen than nature!

Consequently the imbalance created isn't just an issue related to soil 
fertility (which is related to a number of factors, from ploughing to 
monocropping), it also changes the cycling on nutrients in the aquatic 
environment -- and ultimately (with phosphate runoff) creates the large dead 
zones in the oceans that not only kill life, but put significant quantities of 
the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

There is no way to separate climate change from agriculture; certainly it's a 
more driving correlation than coal burning; and in many ways solving 
agriculture will provide many multi-facited benefits that go way beyond what 
could be achieved by simply sorting out our energy supply.

Re: population, there's more than enough food produced today to feed everyone 
adequately -- however, people still go hungry.

This demonstrates that agricultural production and human hunger isn't simply 
an issue of logistics, it's an issue of equity and justice. For example India 
produces a lot of food, but the fact it's not distributed properly is a 
function of the money system and the way it allocates wealth (i.e., people 
just can't afford it), not the ability of the Indian logistics system to 
produce and deliver food.

Think of all these issues in this way -- which I know for some people 
(consumers, economic liberals, the rich, etc.) is rather taxing on the brain 
cells:

Economics objects to market dominance; that's because when one company 
dominates the market it can fix prices and make the economic process less 
efficient. However, especially in relation to food and resource production, land 
and capital are equally essential in the market -- for the well-being of its 
operation and the maintenance of low prices -- as are the commodity/fiscal 
factors that turn resources into useful products.

Why then does modern economics and the political world object to dominance 
over 'factors' market, but not dominance in the ownership of private property? 
The concentration of land ownership creates the same kind of market 
distortions as cartels and monopolies, but for some reason (err, probably 
because they own/represent these private interests) the political-economic 
process seems to have a blind-spot with regard to the accumulation of minority 
control over the land and capital assets of humanity.

The problem with economics isn't that it's "wrong", it's that it embodies 
fundamental inconsistencies that are created by the need to protect the 
interests of a small minority over the majority. Solve the monopoly control 
over land and resources, and I think you'll find that other "problems" will 
become a lot easier to solve.

Sorry, I've returned to book-writing mode after my little foray back into the 
nuclear debate -- makes for rather a boring conversation! ;-)


P.

-- 

.

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party nor against the other but we are
for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom,
that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness,
righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity with
God, and with one another, that these things may abound."
(Edward Burrough, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')

Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", is out now!
For details see http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ebo/

Read my 'essay' weblog, "Ecolonomics", at:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ecolonomics/

Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864
email - mobbsey at gn.apc.org
website - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/index.shtml
public key - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/mobbsey-2011.asc

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