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75 comments on The Top Energy Stories of 2006 (and Happy New Year!) from The Oil Drum
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75 comments on The Top Energy Stories of 2006 (and Happy New Year!) from The Oil Drum
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The lack of food and potable water is very closely related to the high cost of energy. The whole green revolution depends on cheap energy, and when fossil fuels become much more expensive there will be a major increase in death rates.
Malthus was right, though his timing may have been off.
"The lack of food and potable water is very closely related to the high cost of energy. "
How? Energy has been very cheap until very recently. Social disintegration in Africa existed long before today's high prices.
"The whole green revolution depends on cheap energy"
I had the impression that it was more closely related to improved strains of wheat, and so on, than increased fertilizer (which I assume is what you're referring to).
Much of the Green Revolution depends on irrigation water pumped by diesel-fueled pumps. As you indicated, cheap fertilizer depends on cheap energy. Beyond that, the production and distribution of hybrid seeds depends on cheap energy.
Potable water generally has to be pumped, either from wells or through pipelines.
Thus both potable water and cheap food depend on cheap energy, and I do believe the poorest countries (such as Zimbabwe) will be the hardest hit by Peak Oil.
I do not think that production & distribution of seed requires large energy inputs.
Seed farms can be located within ox cart distance of most farmers. And even heavy trucks can move the minimal weight of seed (it varies by crop) a hundred miles or so "affordably".
Best Hopes,
Alan