Plan B: Selling Our Future

“As the world struggles to feed all its people, farmers are facing several trying trends.” (Brown 4)

http://www.gspretail.com/newsletter/nl16_retailer-focus-publix.html

As I read this statement it didn’t truly hit me at first. I was completely unaware of all the issues that food production in America is facing. As I continued to read, Brown listed all the factors going against food production from the supply and demand side of the equation. I was confused by the significance of some of these trends. In my own little world, I never thought of lack of food as an issue. Every time I go to Publix they always have what I need. I know that is a small scale to put it on, but that is the way most college students think. They are unaware of what’s happening outside of their own environment. As we’ve discussed environmental issues in class, I’ve never thought to apply its effects to the food I eat.


“No country is immune to the effects of tightening world food supplies, not even the United States, the world’s breadbasket.” (Brown 13)

http://hibe-online.com/8-signs-you-suffer-from-a-sense-of-entitlement/

I think this statement is very accurate! Sometimes I feel like people from the United States sometimes have a sense of entitlement. Just because we live in America we should be able to surpass all issues dealing with constricted food sources, yet that is the furthest from the truth. The book gave a perfect example with the relationship we have with China. We are bound in certain instances where claiming we are the greatest and most powerful nation in the world won’t bail us out of a tough situation.


“Success depends on moving at wartime speed, restructuring the world energy economy at a pace reminiscent of the restructuring of the U.S. industrial economy in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor.” (Brown 25)

http://allthingsd.com/20120330/yahoo-layoffs-set-to-begin-next-week-followed-by-restructuring-the-week-after/

I do not think “moving at wartime speed” is something that can be accomplished in today’s time without a dramatic change in the hearts of millions of Americans. People are more concerned with instant gratification, and do not lean towards change if they won’t see results in a timely manner. The Plan B project is a long term project that you must gain support behind for it to be successful. I don’t think you can compare the reference that Brown made to the attacks on Pearl Harbor to the environmental situations that we are facing today. Pearl Harbor was a sudden, vicious attack on the American people, so they desired to get even and receive self-gratification. They were willing to make changes in their lives because it was for a cause they felt fervent about. I don’t think there’s enough passionately driven people to make such a change to put Plan B into action. 

What is Biodiversity and Why is it Important?

“Our ignorance of the ecological functions of diverse forms of life is no excuse for us to push species to extinction, or to manipulate them without concern for the ecological impact.”

 (Shiva 41)

http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/5-of-the-bestest-practices-learned-from-social-media-in-2014/106118

This statement is completely correct. Ignorance about an issue is never a good enough excuse. That goes for any aspect of life. In school, just because you say you weren’t aware an assignment was due doesn’t mean you won’t be held accountable for not turning it in. Personally, I know I am unmindful of some of the environmental issues that go on around me. That is something that I must take full responsibility for. To be considered a respectable citizen, I need to keep myself educated and informed about current issues in my local area. Whether or not I realize it, I make an ecological impact every day. My goal is to become more aware of my own “controllable” actions that I have over the environment and the species that live in it.

 “Creating clones of Western forms of industrial production and excessive consumption is called ‘development’ but is actually ‘maldevelopment’.” (Shiva 57)

http://www.waletejumade.com/business-development-and-management/

Here Shiva states her opinion upon development of the modern world. I can see two sides to her story, but I think she may have taken this statement a little too far. As times are changing in the world, how can you expect different parts of the world not to revolutionize the way they go about development. Parts of Western civilization are ahead of the game. To be able to compete in today’s economy you have to catch up to what everyone else is doing if you want to be viable in the business world. This is where the disagreements occur because business minded people and environmentalist clash. A balance between the two needs to be struck.

 “The value and functions of living organisms are important at higher levels of organization.” (Shiva 42)

http://www.warrenhills.org/Page/4475

I feel like this statement contradicts other ideas that Shiva has presented. Earlier in the reading she stated, “The smallest microbe plays a critical role in maintaining the ecological processes that create the conditions of life for all species, including, of course, our own” (Shiva 41). So which way is it? Are all organisms equally important in our environment, or do humans take priority? Overall from the reading, I took away that human’s greed and power influence them to think they are the dominate being.  I’m not convinced that is completely true, but I also think that each organism has its own special place in the equation. While humans seem to have the control, they also need to know that they have a particular place in the ecological system as well. 

The Obligation to Endure - Rachel Carson

“Thus the chemical war is never won, and all life is caught in the crossfire.” (Carson 155)

This quote put insecticides into perspective for me. I have never thought about the damage that insecticides can cause besides killing those troublesome pests. We think that when we spray the pesticides our issues will soon be gone, but in reality they may just be beginning. I was unaware of how harmful the insecticides are to other aspects of the environment besides just the pests themselves. Carson stated it best earlier in the reading, “They should not be called insecticides, but biocides” (Carson 155). Everything in the environment is affected by these “biocides” ranging from the soil, plants, water and other animals. If innovation ceases to occur, then the continued use of these chemicals will create an unending cycle of devastation.

http://alisonlongstaff.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html

 “The methods employed must be such that they do not destroy us along with the insects.” (Carson 156)

I think Carson makes an exceptional point here, but how do we achieve that? It comes across as too logical. There has to be a way to control the insect population with regards to farming practices, yet also keep the environment in mind. It is easier said than done, but we have to find a better way to protect and enhance all aspects of the environment. A balance must be found between conditions where control of insects is absolutely necessary and conditions where the insects could be fended off in another, more natural way. The key is finding the specific way we can achieve that goal, but it is not something that will be able to be done until it is a priority

http://medical-diagonosis.wonderhowto.com/how-to/suspect-case-insecticide-poisoning-0126031/

 “How could intelligent beings seek to control a few unwanted species by a method that contaminated the entire environment and brought the threat of disease and death even to their own kind?” (Carson 156)

I personally think this quote may have gone too far. The use of pesticides is to control undesirable species, but it was not looked at as a means to wreak havoc upon our environment. The purpose of the insecticides was in part to help flourish the agricultural industry, which it has, along with helping regulate some diseases. By no means was it ever created with harm to mankind and the environment in mind. It is unfortunate and even unacceptable now to continue the use of such products. Innovation is a part of the process. As time changes new advances and technologies will come about that will be beneficial for the cause of controlling pests, as well as being environmentally friendly.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-30/dist-nrn-bee-pesticide-ban/4659712