How about you examine the conflict between energy and food production in the use of water? Pie graphs representing agriculture v energy production never take into account the fractured and destroyed aquifers (as done in mining and the CSG industry) - instead only the water that mining is licensed for. Where does the excessive use of water and aquifer destruction that is part of the CSG industry fit into these comments. Water scarcity drives agriculture with industry looking at creative ways - at the farmers expense - to produce food with less water. Try suggesting that to the miners and the CSG extractors.

Probably the worst article OLO have published.

I thought I was reading another of those things from a couple of second year students, so simplistic was its subject matter & treatment.

If we are going to have a problem with food shortages, it will be because we have people, who can write such pointless twaddle, in positions of influence.

Simplistic drivel.

My reading of IFPRI is that it is endorsing business as usual ...

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/11/20/feeding-billions-p1/

and the irony of Oxfam advertising goats for Africa on the same page is deep. If you really want to screw Africa, then increase the number of goats ... she already has 300 million chewing their way through soil protective crop residues and other potential ground cover.

Policy issues which ought to be considered are outlined but the article itself does not appear to take account of several matters related to growing demand for food and inability to produce it due to climate change.

Global population growth is expected to grow from the present 7 billion to over 9 billion by 2040, possibly reaching 10 billion by mid century, representing an increase of 28-40% in demand for food. Over this same period it should be expected that mean global temperature will rise to +2C and by 2100 by +4C above those of 1750. These temperature increases will further accelerate loss of mountain glaciers meaning that water from this source will be greatly reduced.

This reduction is already evident in N.W. India where, despite the fact that aquifers are being over-pumped, an approved government policy, grain and other agricultural yields are in decline and no longer support the population. Similarly, aquifers of the Central Valley of California are being depleted as agricultural production competes with burgeoning urban populations for water supplies made scarce by loss of glaciers on the Sierra Nevada.

It should be expected that as global temperature increases, so will evaporation of land based water. While this will inevitably result in higher rainfall, it is unlikely to fall where it is most needed, nor in appropriate amounts. The result is more likely to be increased aridity, drought, heat and fire or damaging flooding rain in agricultural areas and decrease in the area of productive arable land. This is evidenced by an increase in the number and severity of climate events.

It is not clear that policy proposals in this article have been formulated on the basis of these considerations or that they are appropriate to addressing the increasingly negative challenges facing those producing and demanding food.

Come on Agnostic, the recently leaked/released IPCC report says that they do not expect any "obvious" warming for the next 2 or 3 decades. Natural forces are going to disguise any warming they now tell us. Hell, we've been telling them that for years, but like you, they wouldn't listen.

Even worse, sea level is now dropping, we're not all going to drown. It's bloody hard to get a good scare scenario going these days isn't it?

No heating in the last 12 years & now none for 3 decades, how is it going to be up 2 degrees by 2040, less than 3 decades away? Dropped you right in it haven't they?

Shockingly, even such pro a global warming organization as the BBC reported this lot, so the leak must have come from the top.

I'm afraid you'll have to come up with some other disaster syndrome. Global warming is all over for quite a while.

Perhaps a new ice age could be conjured up to help out.