Upendra Shardanand

The Planet Will House 10 Billion People, and We Can Feed Them All

There are a few basic (but radical) steps we can take to sustainably double our food production. Here’s the strategy:

• Halt farming in places like tropical rainforests and wild lands, which are ecologically valuable but have low food output. 
• Make underused expanses of land in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe more efficient, boosting current food production by nearly 60 percent. 
• Make better use of water, fertilizers, and chemicals 
• Stop eating so much meat, especially in developed countries. 
• Stop wasting food—about one-third of all food grown is either discarded, spoiled, or eaten by pests.

The last two one can start doing today.

Are Your Political Opponents Crazy?

Conservatives, for example, see business as primarily a source of social and economic good, achieved by the market mechanism of seeking to maximize profit. They therefore think government’s primary duty regarding businesses is to see that they are free to pursue their goal of maximizing profit. Liberals, on the other hand, think that the effort to maximize profit threatens at least as much as it contributes to our societies’ well-being. They therefore think that government’s primary duty regarding businesses is to protect citizens against business malpractice. Of course, conservatives admit that sometimes business practices need government regulation and liberals admit that sometimes regulation is a bad idea, but in each case these are exceptions to their basic picture. While conservatives are (as Ronald Reagan put it) terrified at the words, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” liberals are terrified at the words, “I’m from [for example] the cable company and I’m here to help you.”