by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Aside from fighting the effects of Climate Change, if indeed we have a chance of doing so, the most important issues facing our respective countries are energy security and food security.
The coming end of the era of cheap oil is going to put the energy security of each and every industrialized country in jeopardy and the same is true as regards to food, as imports, many of which are not sustainable even at this very moment, will become far too expensive to contemplate.
Both of these issues are extremely serious and need to be dealt with and addressed now immediately this very moment. We have no time to lose.
As far as the UK's energy security is concerned some sources are beginning to predict serious brown outs of the electricity supply system by as early as 2012.
Now if it would happen then with the Olympic Games being held in London it would not leave a very good impression of things in the eyes of the world.
But, the eyes of the world are neither here nor there; it is the nation's energy security and that of its people that is what matters. Britain's own oil and natural gas supplies in the North Sea oil and gas fields, even though the government and industry refuse to admit that, are running out and the country is becoming dependent on natural gas from Russia, which is at best an issue and at worst a nightmare. More than once already Gazprom has held the Western European countries dependent on that gas, including Britain, to ransom. This is no way to run a railroad let alone a country.
Food security is, probably, on a more serious level to energy security, though we need to consider both and probably side by side.
With cheap oil on its way out and our countries heading towards a future without cheap oil food security is a very important point, most important, in fact.
Food growing will have to be brought back to a local level and we need to get used to, once again, to use only seasonal produce that can b e grown in our own respective countries, and that what can be preserved by sustainable means of the season's harvest.
Imports from afar are not sustainable and will no longer be feasible; at least not as far as fresh produce is concerned.
Local food growing only can give us any kind of food security. Supply lines can be far too easily cut, as two world wars should have taught us in Britain for sure.
It was the First World War that started the first “Dig for Victory” campaign and really helped the allotment movement. World War Two brought the campaign in a much more intensive way and people grew food everywhere.
If we could do it then we can do it again and we must do it again.
When will we understand that we cannot carry on the way we do now?
We must press or governments to get their respective fingers out and actually tell the people the truth and tell them to “dig for food security” and to reduce the use of fuel and energy to guarantee some sort of security on both levels. It must be done and done now.
What we cannot expect, however, is that the government does it all for us. Much of it we will have to do ourselves and in both instances it will mean thinking of what and how.
We must grow at least some of our own food at home, on allotments and in community garden projects that must occupy every available space. In addition to that we must reduce our energy consumption, as individuals, families, as well as business and industry and government. Only thus can we even hope to make it without too many problems.
© 2010
