Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis Pre-reading Activity

Transcription

1 Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis Pre-reading Activity Discussion Questions How fast is the world population growing? Do you think there are already too many people in the world? How fast is the population of the UAE growing? What are some of the problems associated with a large population? What are some of the ways we can tackle these problems? What do you think is the ideal family size? To find the population of any country click here, select the country in the drop-down menu, and choose the category people. 1 of 7

2 Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis (1) How does it feel to be constantly hungry? If you are among the affluent one-third of humanity which consumes two-thirds of the world's total food supply then you have no concept whatsoever of the real meaning of hunger. But the majority of people on earth spend most of their waking hours and 60-95% of their incomes just trying to get enough food for themselves and their children to prevent starvation and debilitating diseases. (2) With an impressive sequence of agricultural revolutions, we have increased our food growing capacity several hundredfold. In the United States, Australia and Canada, countries that have traditionally grown a lot of food, the rural population is below 5 percent. In some European countries it is below 1 percent. (3) There are a number of reasons for the vastly increased yields in western countries since the First World War. The most important of these are: a. The widespread availability of relatively inexpensive fertilisers. b. Mechanised agriculture powered by energy, from fossil fuels and to some extent nuclear power. c. The development of an impressive array of chemicals - herbicides, fungicides and insecticides - to reduce crop losses through the activities of pests. d. Intensive research into plant breeding and stock improvement. e. Improvements in the storage, processing, distribution and marketing of food. (4) There is also another fundamental paradox in these impressive feats. Although we are feeding more people than at any time in history, there are also more hungry and malnourished people than in any previous time. This is the real energy crisis in the world today. It affects the health and survival of one-third to one-half of all human beings. Total production has increased since 1961 on all continents except Africa, yet the per capita food production in the less developed countries is not different from the inadequate levels that existed in the early 1960's. (5) Despite massive efforts in certain problem areas, world and regional food production has barely kept up with population growth. Are some regions in the world doomed to massive famines in the coming decades? There is no easy answer to this controversial question. Some people point out that we are already experiencing the greatest famine in the history of humanity with somewhere between 5 and 20 million human beings dying of starvation, malnutrition and diseases associated with malnutrition each year. (6) In one sense there might be no global shortage of food if the total quantity of calorie available were distributed on a per capita basis. However, the world food problem is not just the quantity but also the quality of food available, the uneven food distribution and buying power, and the ecological side effects of modern agriculture. Many suggestions have been made for dealing with the food crisis, but before evaluating these proposed solutions we must see how the laws of thermodynamics as always, determine the limits of what we can and can not do. Thanks to Sherry Cross Adapted from Living in the Environment 2 of 7

3 Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis (Ex.1) 1. affluent (paragraph 1) a) have a lot of money b) have a lot of children c) have a lot of houses 2. starvation (paragraph 1) a) suffering or dying from lack of food b) suffering because there is very little money c) suffering because there are too many problems 3. rural (paragraph 2) a) to do with the country or village b) to do with living in big cities c) to do with living in the mountains 4. pests (paragraph 3) a) insects that fly in the night b) animals or insects that destroy crops c) insects and animals that crawl 5. paradox (paragraph 4) a) a statement that says the same thing b) two ideas that are the same c) a statement that says two opposite things 6. malnourished (paragraph 4) a) become ill because there is not enough good food to eat b) become ill because there is too much rich food to eat c) become ill because one is too fat 7. inadequate (paragraph 4) a) not enough b) enough c) not enough 8. famine (paragraph 5) a) lack of food and drink in the cities b) extreme lack of food for a very large number of people c) lack of food in the villages 9. global (paragraph 6) a) to do with the world b) to do with the villages c) to do with the towns 10. uneven (paragraph 6) a) not the same in quantity or quality b) not the same in quantity c) not equal 3 of 7

4 Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis (Ex. 2) 1. One third of the population of the world consumes of the total food supply. a) two thirds b) one third c) over half 2. Most people in the world spend more than half their trying to feed themselves. a) wages b) salary c) income 3. The rural population in the US, Australia and Canada is a) below 5% b) above 5% c) just 5% 4. The text mentions very important reasons for the increased yields in the western countries a) three b) four c) five 5. Despite increased food production there are more people in the world today than ever before. a) angry b) hungry c) hunger 6. Since 1961 food production has increased in all continents except a) India b) Africa c) Somalia 7. The world food problem is not only a question of but also of quality. a) quantity b) quality c) quantities production in the world has not kept up with population growth. a) Car b) Crop c) Food 9. It is estimated that human beings die of starvation every year. a) between 5 and 20 million b) less than 5 and 20 million c) more than 5 and 20 million 10. Many have been made for dealing with the food crisis. a) plans b) suggestions c) decisions 4 of 7

5 Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis (Ex. 3) agriculture colossal crisis growth hunger important incomes malnourished organisations wealthy western yields The (1) people of this world, who make up 30% of the global population, have no conception of the real meaning of (2). But the majority of the rest, spend between 60-95% of their (3) trying to feed themselves and their children. Modern technology and the agricultural revolutions have made it possible in the (4) countries to increase their food supply by several hundredfold. There are a number of reasons for this. Mechanised (5), the development of chemicals for pest control, intensive research and improvements in the storage, processing, distribution and marketing of food are some of the most (6) factors that have contributed to the vastly increased (7) in the western countries. However, although we are feeding more people than at any time in history, there are also more hungry and (8) people than ever before. It is a paradox, that in this world of technology, there should be so many poor and hungry people. Despite the efforts of some governments and world (9), world food production has barely kept up with population (10). There is no easy answer to this (11) problem and many suggestions have been made for dealing with the food (12), but before evaluating these solutions, we need to determine the limits of what we can and can not do.. There is no easy answer to this problem and many suggestions have been made for dealing with the food, but before evaluating these solutions, we need to determine the limits of what we can and can not do. Population Growth and Food Supply: The Real Energy Crisis (Wordsearch) 5 of 7

6 Ex. 1 Key (a) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (a) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10. (a) Ex. 2 Key (a) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (b) 6. (b) 7. (a) 8. (c) 9. (a) 10. (b) -----Ex. 3 Key----- The wealthy people of this world, who make up 30% of the global population, have no conception of the real meaning of hunger. But the majority of the rest, spend between 60-95% of their incomes trying to feed themselves and their children. Modern technology and the agricultural revolutions have made it possible in the western countries to increase their food supply by several hundredfold. There are a number of reasons for this. Mechanised agriculture, the development of chemicals for pest control, intensive research and improvements in the storage, processing, distribution and marketing of food are some of the most important factors that have contributed to the vastly increased yields in the western countries. However, although we are feeding more people than at any time in history, there are also more hungry and malnourished people than ever before. It is a paradox, that in this world of technology, there should be so many poor and hungry people. Despite the efforts of some governments and world organisations, world food production has barely kept up with population growth. There is no easy answer to this colossal problem and many suggestions have been made for dealing with the food crisis, but before evaluating these solutions, we need to determine the limits of what we can and can not do.. There is no easy answer to this problem and many suggestions have been made for dealing with the food, but before evaluating these solutions, we need to determine the limits of what we can and can not do. 6 of 7

7 -----Wordsearch Key of 7