Sustainable Solutions?
It is quite clear that Europe, the USA and Japan are the wealthiest global regions and equally obvious that south America and above all Africa are very poor indeed.
These inequalities have increased dramatically in recent years.
But this world of 'haves' and 'have nots' is not quite as simple as it appears.
Over 20 million US citizens live on 'trailer parks' in what we would call 'caravans'. At the same time, there are a significant number of millionaires living in Mumbai, a city much better known for its slums!
The fact is, supply and consumption, wealth and development can fluctuate and change just as much in a single area as it can around the world.
As societies develop, it is highly likely that their impact on the environment will increase. One of the many ironies of the battle against global warming is that the societies that are least equipped to cope with its effects - Malawi and Mozambique, for example - are not generally responsible for the problem in the first place.
The current environmental impact of both China and India is low, but these countries with their growing populations are expected to develop into the emerging superpowers. This raises concerns that the scale of their future consumption and resource use may have a significant impact on the future of the planet.
Lots of oil, but no food!
Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is a major producer of oil, producing over 2.7 million barrels a day.
However, it is a desert country that has very little rainfall or land that is suitable for growing crops.
The answer has been to develop nearly 30,000 hectares of farmland in Sudan in the first step towards ensuring food security in Abu Dhabi.
I know, I know, I did say it is developing farmland in Sudan. You see, the Government of Sudan has agreed to lease the land free of charge, in exchange for technological expertise in improving farming techniques.
The move follows similar projects by Middle Eastern countries locking up land from Brazil to Pakistan and Thailand to guarantee supplies of cereals, meat and vegetables at a reasonable cost. Although the region of Abu Dhabi is rich in oil, lack of rain makes large-scale food imports a necessity, and it has been hit by the global food shortage, with prices and inflation rising sharply.
Watered by the Nile, Sudan has great agricultural potential, and having offered Abu Dhabi free use of the land, it should benefit from the business links and technical know-how, which will benefit Sudan as it looks to continue to develop.
Mohammed al-Suwaidi, the director general of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, which will run the farms, said yesterday that food security was a priority for his government, and that the Sudan deal "will not be the last project".
Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates that form the United Arab Emirates, with a population of 4 million and only 1% of its land arable. "The recent oil price boom had a major effect on the price of raw commodities," Suwaidi said. "Global warming has an effect on commodities. The time may come when, even if you have the money, acquiring some commodities will not be easy."
Crops will include corn, alfalfa, and possibly wheat, potatoes and beans. Everything will be exported to the UAE. Projects in Uzbekistan and Senegal are also being considered. China has been leasing farmland in Asia and Africa for more than a decade. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have also expressed interest in developing projects in Sudan, where production has been hindered by decades of conflict and misrule. Up to 80% of arable farmland in Sudan is not used so the Government sees it as an opportunity to create wealth and expertise in the country.
Saudi Arabia is especially keen to secure its food supply, having recently announced the phasing out of a 30-year project to grow wheat in its desert, because the water consumption was too high. Like Bahrain, it has announced plans to stockpile (save up) basic foodstuffs, and intends to invest in agricultural projects and companies in Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand and India.
For large developing countries, agreements with oil-producing countries are tempting. Pakistan's government is reported to have offered the Saudis hundreds of thousands of hectares in return for £3bn in oil and financial aid.
The Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Yemen etc.), which on average import 60% of their food, can cut this cost by a quarter by controlling the supply. Reduction in prices is seen as crucial in calming people whose living standards have been eroded by increases of up to 40% in food prices over the past year.
Private companies are being encouraged to buy agricultural land abroad, but questions remain about how the deals will work in the event of domestic shortages in the food-exporting countries, which have also been hit by rising prices, largely driven by the increased cost of oil.
Can the planet feed us?
The world's population is rapidly increasing but even though it is exponentially growing, our food supply has kept pace with the growth. Not only has it kept pace, but more people are consuming more calories than 40 years ago (look at the graph below).
Sustainable Development
Since the 1980's the idea of sustainable development has become very well known, in fact the word 'sustainable' is now used by almost every global organisation. In fact it has been used, and misused, so much that it easy to lose track of what it really means.
Ways of reducing our use of resources
Using local farmers markets - do we really need to import food?
Benefits
Supports farmers and reduces the cost of transport and the 'carbon footprint'.
Costs
Buying locally produced food at certain times of the year is more damaging to the environment than buying imported food. this is because it costs more energy to heat the greenhouses than to transport the goods from abroad.
Reduce the unecessary luxuries in your life - how many pairs of shoes do you have?
Benefits
Reduces the waste of resources in their manufacture and transport, never mind mentioning the packaging!
Costs
What about the foreign workers who make those 'luxuries'? Will they still have jobs if we cut back?
Recycling and conservation - reduce, reuse, recycle
Benefits
There are huge savings available here as materials are reused and recycled and savings are made if we reduce the resources we used.
Costs
It isn't obvious how rural peasants of Bangladesh for example benefit from our careful recycling! The impact on global warming is small and certainly doesn't help the lives of the poorest, especially if we make the trips to the recycling centres in our 4x4 cars!
Get on your bike - stop using four wheels and use two.
Benefits
Cars are great polluters and as the average journey is only around 8 miles there is a massive chance to reduce CO2 emissions, especially with 33 million cars on the road!
Costs
Older people and those with disabilities may find it more difficult to jump on a bike. It is also hard to imagine how the economy would continue if we cut back on transport of goods by road.
What can we do?
Too much plastic?
In Britain we drink more than 2 billion litres of bottled water each year - despite clean tap water being available in every office, factory and house! Many believe the bottled water is in some way cleaner, fresher or more pure.
However the plastic bottles that hold the water are made from oil, and oil is used to transport the bottled water across great distances.
Of course, in many high and middle income countries (HIC & MIC) water is a readily available resource. The issue of importing bottled water has now been highlighted and recently an 'eco-trend' has been growing. More people are carrying refillable bottles of tap water to the office, gym or school.
In terms of the use of oil as a resource, people need to reuse water bottles and ensure that plastic bottles are recycled.
Cleaner Cars?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it is usually found in combination with other elements such as carbon (oil, natural gas) or oxygen (water).
Once separated, hydrogen has the potential to provide an alternative to oil - to power vehicles that release no harmful emissions!
The only thing to come out of the exhaust is water - so pure that you can drink it!
Separating hydrogen requires energy, but this can be provided from a renewable resource such as solar or wind power.
Hydrogen offers the potential of reducing dependence on oil, while also emitting zero CO2!!
California's hydrogen highway
In 2005, the world's first hydrogen highway, the CaH2Net, was launched in California.
The plan was to ensure that California had at least 50 hydrogen filling stations by 2010 (they're nearly there - they have nearly 40).
This will encourage people in California to adopt the new technology as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles become more affordable. This will reduce the state's dependence on oil for transport and reduce harmful emissions.
There are now another 2 hydrogen highways in America plus many others around the world including ones in Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Germany.