The main reason for rising prices, of course, is the surge in demand from China and India. Hundreds of millions of people are joining the middle class each year, and that means they want to eat more and better food.
A secondary reason has been the growing demand for ethanol as a fuel additive. That's soaking up some of the corn supply.
The WSJ, of all publications, is acknowledging (however indirectly) that there are simply too many of us on this planet. There were for a long time, but now, most of us want first-world lifestyles, something the Earth simply can't provide. Consider:
- Farmers are already having a tough time rotating crops and re-using soil too early
- Oil demand is sky-high, as are prices since the US sold out its currency for a false real-estate boom...growing economies such as China and India will put further strain on oil resources by increasing their own oil purchases in coming months/years
- Companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW are working hard on viable renewable fuel alternatives, while the US descends into third-world status by frantically attempting to use our own crops, much of which we export, for fuel
- It's politically incorrect to mention that there are too many people on the planet, because everyone should have a right to consume (so goes the logic)
All these factors lead to increased consumption with the same amount of land available to people for cities and crops. That land was already strained; now we have to deal with hundreds of millions more consumers every year, while the number of food riots increase (Haiti & Mexico, anyone?). I agree with the writer - time to stockpile food, guns, and bottled water. Eventually, we'll be living in a future Tyler Durden could appreciate - gun in hand, looking out every window of your house for looters & rapists, boiling the bacteria & pollutants out of your water, etc. At least the McDonald's down the street will still be open.
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