Earth Day Thoughts

The scary thing is to me it seems like almost my entire life that people have been denying global warming was possibly a threat- it really has only been since high school, but well, that was 25 years ago now. And while the awesome early summer weather we are having in April is probably a lot more about the gulf stream or other short-term factors than global warming, it does at least finally seem that the see has sawed and people are worried.

And just when we finally start to get some buy in for really solving the problem ?

Something else comes along that's even more frightening, and way more immediate- people all over the world are going hungry because they can't afford- get this- rice. I mean, rice ? In poor countries they give rice away to keep people from starving.

Or check that- they used to. Now they can't afford to. Rice in half the rest of the world is a main staple, not something between a novelty and take-out food like it is here in the US, where rice remains very affordable, because of course you can make more money sending your rice here than selling it for pennies back home. Of course, as countries start to restrict rice exports, that could change, but it's already past the point of comfort in the places where food riots have occurred.

That's right, people all over the world have rioted because of food shortages (or affordable food shortages, or both). At least one government is on the verge of toppling.

Of all the things we need from the earth, food is pretty much at the top of the list and here, on Earth Day, it's once again time to think about providing a better, more rational stewardship of the most important resource we have...