By Gwynne Dyer

We are still living off the proceeds of the Green Revolution, but that hit diminishing returns twenty years ago. Now we live in a finely balanced situation where world food supply just about meets demand, with no reserve to cover further population growth. But the population will grow anyway, and the world's existing grain supply for human consumption is being eroded by three different factors: meat, heat and biofuels.

By Kevin Morrison in London

Published: October 12 2006 18:48 | Last updated: October 12 2006 18:48

The world’s stockpiles of wheat are at their lowest level in more than a quarter century, according to the US Department of Agriculture, which on Thursday slashed its forecasts for global wheat and corn production.

The lower forecasts were largely attributable to the severe drought in Australia, where the forecast for this year’s wheat crop was cut by 8.5m tons to 11m. That is less than half of the 24m produced last year, of which about 17m went to exports.

This is a must see documentary produced by Ronan Doyle. Do yourself a favor and take a 50 minute break and watch it now. It is that important.

If you're not in shock when it is finished, leave a comment on your thoughts about it. Have Fun!

Introduction

Although the debate is growing around the point in time when global oil production starts to decline permanently, for countries or regions where oil production is null or very low, the amount of oil available for trade in the market is a much more relevant issue. Such is the case of the European Union; with oil consumption topping 14.5 Mb/d, only two of its member states figure in the exporting countries list, and both with marginal numbers. More than worrying with a Peak Oil date, importing countries should worry on the future availability of tradable oil.

Mark Lynas

You may find it hard to believe, but most environmentalists are optimists. Their doom-monger image is actually the opposite of the truth: their most consistent message is not that we are doomed, but that we have the time and the technology to avoid the worst calamities, if we act now. This insistence on human agency irritates true doom-mongers, such as John Gray, who, reviewing George Monbiot's new book Heat (NS, 18 September), complained: "The assumption that we can stop [global warming] becomes less scientifically tenable by the day, and is in fact not much more than a green version of anthropocentrism." In this, Gray was echoing James Lovelock, who told the New York Times of 12 September that solar panels and wind turbines are "largely gestures", but "no answer at all to the problem" of global warming, which is already essentially out of control.

by Adam Plowright
Sun Oct 8, 5:48 PM ET

Nuclear power is poised for a renaissance as governments turn to the technology to face down fears about global warming and energy security, the head of the Nuclear Energy Agency believes.

In an interview with AFP, NEA director-general Luis Echavarri explained how changes in the political climate have cast nuclear energy in a new light, putting a number of countries on the path to vast new investment programmes.

by Lawrence Bartlett

Millions of people in the Asia-Pacific region could be forced from their homes and suffer increasing disease, cyclones and floods caused by global warming, scientists have warned.

Climate change will seriously threaten regional human security and national economies this century, according to a report by the Australian government's Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO).

What really threatens us? How do we truly make ourselves safer?

The Cato Institute (a conservative thinktank) has released an outstanding paper, A False Sense of Insecurity (PDF), which makes the point that in any rational assessment, terrorism is really just not that big of a threat to the average person. For instance, about as many Americans have been killed by terrorists as have been "killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reaction to peanuts." Whatsmore, many WMD threats are overblown and largely preventable. Indeed, with exhaustive research, the authors can conclude that:

The project “Asleep in America ” is a documentary that explores the topic of Peak Oil. Experts agree that Global Peak production will surely happen. They disagree only on when it will happen. Oil industry analysts predict the Global Peak could occur around 2020. Critics disagree and provide evidence suggesting the Peak will occur as early as 2010. Either way, the Peak is inevitable. See the promo here:

Everyone has a part to play in combating global warming -- whether simply turning off lights in an empty room or making their own electricity from the wind and sun, experts said on Friday.

No matter how small the action in the context of the vast problem of man-made climate change, every little bit counts, was the message from the Energy Saving Trust (EST) on the opening day of the Ideal Home Show in London.