By Frosty Wooldridge

Contributed by: Frosty Wooldridge

Part 12: Genetically modified foods

“A simple look at the upward path of global greenhouse emissions indicates we will continue to squeeze the trigger on the gun we have put to our own head.”  Eugene Linden, The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather and the Destruction of Civilization

In October of 2011, the 7th billion human being will land on this planet.  From that threshold, humans will continue multiplying by 1.0 billion every 13 years to reach more than 10 billion within 39 years at the mid century.  The ramifications stagger the mind of any thinking American.  This series will give you an idea of what our civilization faces. 

The human race continues thinking it can fool Mother Nature without consequences. Let me tell you folks, no one in the final analysis fools her-not then, not now, not ever! She will kick our butts so far down the bowling alley of the 21 st century-it will make our heads spin and give us a heck of a headache-especially our children.

We continue driving cars that burn oil 84 million barrels 24/7 that wreaks havoc upon the biosphere; with trashing our oceans with carbon footprint that acidifies the waters; with acid rain, with poisoned ground water, with mega species extinction, with empirical evidence of climate destabilization-all of it caused by our accelerating activities outside the “Circle of Life.”

In many ways, humans illustrate God’s highest expression and worst mistake. In other words, you won’t see a cheetah, trout, bear or hummingbird doing any damage to the planet via chemical poisons or relentless population growth to the point of destroying everything their paths. You’ve never read the headline, “Hummingbird colony dumps 100,000 pounds of mustard gas into a nearby river because it couldn’t think of anything else to do with it!”

In his brilliantly written book, Too Many People, Lindsey Grant addresses such things as our energy depletion, food crisis and much more. You may find his book at www.sevenlockspress.com and www.amazon.com . Grant is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Population Affairs.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS AND THEIR DANGERS

“The farmers are afraid that entry of genetically modified rice into the Philippines will further deplete traditional rice varieties that are sustainable,” said rice farmer Tata Gonying Velasco. “It has also wiped out much of farmers’ history as stewards of seeds.”

“Patents on seeds illustrate the extent to which transnational companies want to establish monopolies on life, maximizing profit and dominate the world,” said farmer Leopoldo Guilaran.

“A patent on seed is a patent on freedom,” said farmer Memong Patayan.

As you read through this series, do you see the argument remains in the 20 th century paradigm: to keep adding people by producing more food-rather than stabilizing and even reducing people to maintain a balanced human race on this planet that lives within the carrying capacity of the Earth. Gees! What a concept!

Grant said, “Here again, the justification for the gamble is the need to feed more people. If we didn’t have to feed more people, we wouldn’t need to take that risk. The singled-minded pursuit of high yields is a dangerous obsession.”

HOW CAN WE BE SO COMPLETELY MYOPIC AND ARROGANT?

Have you heard of ‘ecological footprint’? It equates to the amount of acres of land that must be destroyed by one single person added to the United States to support his or her existence in this society. That land destruction equals 12.6 acres per person. That amount of land must be ‘developed’ to create roads, schools, cities, football fields, fire houses, crop land and housing tracts.

In countries like Ethiopia, that footprint remains small at .4 acres per person because an Ethiopian only needs a small garden and hut to live very simply, but also in harmony with nature.

Unfortunately, in western countries, it jumps! If the USA continues adding that next 100 million, that means 100,000,000 people X’s 12.6 acres of wilderness must be destroyed-and that equals a whopping 1.26 billion acres of land! No wonder we see 2,500 animals suffering extinction every decade in the USA. We’re destroying habitat for other creatures at an astounding rate of speed. I think it’s well over 3,000 acres a day just for paved roads in the USA-24/7.

As the world grows by 77 million annually-it scares the living daylights out of anyone that understands what humans ‘do’ to our planet home.

Grant continues, “That brings us to the question: what is the desirable ratio between people and land? Answer: a lot more land per capita than we have now. And the future looks even worse. We need to escape the frantic pursuit of higher yields. And lacking a way to expand the Earth, we must do so by addressing the number of people on it.”

Again, I draw your attention to this seven minute video by Dr. Jack Alpert
:

Must see: Rapid Population Decline, seven minute video by Dr. Jack Alpert-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWduFB_RX0

WITH MORE POPULATION GROWTH FASTER ACCELERATION BY MOTHER NATURE TO COMBAT HUMANS

Something must give! Right now, as you read this, and as we proceed into 2010, over 18 million human beings will starve to death this year around the planet. Yet, we will add another 77 million net gain to the globe.

As Goober, in the Andy Griffith Show, in Mayberry, RFD, might say, “Gosh Andy, we got ourselves into a mel of a hess ain’t we?!”

“That story is hardly new to most readers,” Grant said. “I repeat it to make a point: there are synergism-feedbacks-in our activities that intensify trends. We thus approach crisis at accelerating rates. If, on the other hand, we could turn the process around, the synergism would work to our benefit. As forests returned, the self-reinforcing cycle I described would work in reverse and the pressure on the land and on the farmers would vanish.”

Lindsey Grant brings it home with a sobering understanding. I wish all our congressional members and Barack Obama might read this book. Perhaps you would send your leaders copies! What we face grows more astronomical by the day!

“We are putting chemicals into the biosphere with unknown and perhaps vast results,” Grant said. “We are engaged in an unpredictable battle with pests and weeds, and our choice of weapons may harm us without reducing crop losses…this is a horseback guess…on the basis of a much more detailed analysis that the world could support a population of somewhat less than two billion. We are left with the question: why not look at the demand side?”

As you can see from the Dr. Jack Alpert video, we must understand that anything over 100 million on the whole planet at the US standard of living cannot survive the 21 st century.

It dawns on you that we are about to add 100 million to the USA in 25 years! Don’t you think we need to change that future for our children?!

##

In a five minute astoundingly simple yet brilliant video, “Immigration, Poverty, and Gum Balls”, Roy Beck, director of www.numbersusa.ORG, graphically illustrates the impact of overpopulation.  Take five minutes to see for yourself:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded

“Immigration by the numbers—off the chart” by Roy Beck

This 10 minute demonstration shows Americans the results of unending mass immigration on the quality of life and sustainability for future generations: in a word “Mind boggling!”  www.NumbersUSA.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muw22wTePqQ

This is the best website to start:  www.numbersusa.org ; watch Roy Beck’s “Immigration by the Numbers” at 14 minutes. Bi-partisan and very effective. Become a faxer of pre-written letters to your reps to make positive  change.

Visit www.TheSocialContract.com for the best information on what we face as a civilization as to overpopulation, energy, immigration and much more.

Canada www.immigrationwatchcanada.org ; in Australia www.population.org.au and[email protected]; in Great Britain www.populationmatters.org ; and dozens of other sites accessed at www.frostywooldridge.com.   In Florida, www.flimen.org .

Must see DVD: “Blind Spot” www.snagfilms.com/films/title/blind_spot/ , This movie illustrates America’s future without oil, water and other resources to keep this civilization functioning. It’s a brilliant educational movie! www.blindspotdoc.com

Must see: Rapid Population Decline, seven minute video by Dr. Jack Alpert-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWduFB_RX0

Must see and funny: www.growthbusters.org ; www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXSTrW_dARc
Dave Gardner’s Polar Bear in Bedroom:

growthbusters.org/2010/03/save-the-polar-bear-in-your-bedroom ; Dave Gardner, President, Citizen-Powered Media ; Producing the Documentary, GROWTH BUSTERS; presents Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity, Join the cause at www.growthbusters.org ;760 Wycliffe Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 USA; +1 719-576-5565

Check out this link with Wooldridge on bicycle and Lester Brown and panel discussion:

www.upnorthmedia.org/watchupnorthtv.asp?SDBFid=1631

Tomorrow’s Americaproject on www.youtube.com/contemporarylearning.

Producer: GEORGE A. COLBURNwww.tomorrowsamerica.com

DC: 202-258-4887

Email: [email protected]

Link to www.tomorrowsamerica.com for more discussions on America’s predicament.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.starbrightmediacorp.com

www.tomorrowsamerica.com

##

Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents – from the Arctic to the South Pole – as well as six times across the USA, coast to coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway to Athens, Greece. He presents “The Coming Population Crisis in America: and what you can do about it” to civic clubs, church groups, high schools and colleges. He works to bring about sensible world population balance at www.frostywooldridge.com He is the author of: America on the Brink: The Next Added 100 Million Americans. Copies available: 1 888 280 7715