Food for Thought

Life goes on, doesn’t it? Many of us still eat and drink our way through days and nights, oblivious to the plight of those who suffer and die daily from hunger and poverty. Many of us have been scratching our heads and despairing over the US Presidential election, instead of accepting that there’s no turning back on climate change and the new energy revolution is unstoppable. It can’t be trumped! Of course, even we have been known to waver and wobble. Pessimistic, because political and business leaders have been far too slow to act. The sense of urgency has been missing. For the best part of ten years, we’ve been communicating the good, the bad and the ugly of climate change. We’ve advanced the issues and promoted the opoportunities in equal measure. Have things really changed? Has the impact of extreme weather events – even earthquakes and “man-made” disasters – given us a wake up call to action? Even the election of Donald Trump – a climate change denier if ever there was one – cannot stop what has started to take root. And that very agricultural analogy must be applied to how the world needs to address food production and food security. Climate change impacts are already being felt, with the developing world less prepared to cope. In spite of 50 years of UN-driven campaigns to address poverty and hunger, there’s still a long way to go. Food, water, energy and waste are issues and opportunities that must be addressed along with climate impacts. A connected world demands we act collaboratively.
- Ken Hickson