Rising food prices nearing danger point: World Bank

[fragileX]

PARIS: World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned leaders of the top global economies Saturday that the world is reaching a danger point where soaring food prices threaten further political instability.

“I mentioned that we are reaching a danger point,” Zoellick said, adding that he had urged G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs meeting here to “put food first in 2011.”

Zoellick said rising prices would eventually result in increased food supplies but in the intervening couple of years, “there could be an awful lot of turmoil and governments could fall and societies could go into turmoil.”

Soaring food, fuel and other basic costs have been one of the key factors driving political unrest across the Middle East and North Africa which has forced the ouster of long-standing autocratic rulers in Egypt and Tunisia.

“We need to be sensitive and have a fingertip feel on what is happening in terms of food prices and its potential effect on social instability,” Zoellick told a conference call.

He said the international community needs to be ready to act quickly to help countries such as Tunisia to cope with economic shocks as they try to manage political transition.

The World Bank warned ahead of the two-day G20 meeting that food prices rose by 15 percent between October 2010 and January 2011, pushing another 44 million people into poverty.

France, which holds the presidency of the Group of 20 top developing and developed countries, has made reducing price volatility in basic commodities including food one of its key goals.
Zoellick said G20 ministers were receptive to some of the ideas the World Bank has proposed and that the meeting would provide further momentum for action.

“In sum, I’d say there is a list of items here that is very do-able and the best antidote to complaints that the G20 is a talk shop is to take real action. And action for the most vulnerable people is the best form of that.”

In Bolivia, a national protest over rising food prices paralyzed several cities and sectors of the economy Friday in South America’s poorest country.

It was the second national protest in less than two months, led by labor unions, in the latest sign that socialist President Evo Morales faces growing unrest.

Protesters called for Morales to increase salaries, and reverse the rising prices of food and services.

The protests showed renewed anger over the inability of many Bolivians to keep up with the price rises, especially for sugar.
– Agencies

[Ghost Rider]

Overpopulation na eto ng buong mundo. The carrying capacity of the earth can't sustain anymore our population.

[MariaInes]

The government must propose long-term solutions to this upcoming problem and implement it now. Invest in agriculture so we can feed the population in the future.

--------------------------------

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/...d.php?t=495225

[Ghost Rider]

The government must propose long-term solutions to this upcoming problem and implement it now. Invest in agriculture so we can feed the population in the future.

--------------------------------

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/...d.php?t=495225

One possible thing regarding food production increase is using genetically modified organism that can resist the changing environment, especially the ones cause by global warming. For example, rice species that can last being under floods, drought resistant and have properties that can kill pest on their own.

As far as I know, there is no evidence yet that GMO can pose hazards on human health, the problem here is the effect of these organisms on the natural environment especially on the food chain.

One more thing, even if we advance our agricultural tech, the problem here is still the growing human population, as our population grows, so is the land needed for residential, commercial and industrial use.

[topnotch97]

over populated na talaga ang buong mundo eh. unless may ibang planeta tayo na pwedeng paglagyan, malabo pa.

tungkol naman sa GMO foods, kinaayawan pa rin ng mga tao yan. pabor ako sa GMO foods, dahil kulang talaga tayo sa food supply. ang problema, tinatakot ang mga tao sa GMO foods, kayo ayun hindi naiimplement ng maayos.

[the_who68]

soon there will be war.. Countries will be fighting on resources just to feed their people

[topnotch97]

^^ you can count on that one. especially China. a huge population, they'll go to war just to get more resources, not just for to drive their economy but also for food.

[TFF]

People want to stop overpopulation...simple release all the chemical and biological weapons in storage, top it up with nuclear armageddon...and I am sure food prices would drop, food might be even for free...no ones buying...all are dead.

[the_who68]

People want to stop overpopulation...simple release all the chemical and biological weapons in storage, top it up with nuclear armageddon...and I am sure food prices would drop, food might be even for free...no ones buying...all are dead.

lol .. and that would be world war 3

[bagiw.boi]

pnoy admin advice: "eat kamote."

pnoy admin action: convert agricultural lands (read: hacienda luisita) into a residential / industrial complexes.

[MariaInes]

Not that I want to play as a prophet of doom, but with the way things are going, I fear that there will be future food riots here in the country. Let's remember that it's one of the major catalysts that brought the downfall of the Bourbons in France and as well know chaos ensued in that country with its Reign of Terror before it got stabilized under Napoleon Bonaparte.

When the Palace stated "let them eat camote," it reminded me of Marie Antoinette's notorious "let them eat cake." We need concrete governmental action that will address this upcoming crisis NOW. Implement genuine land reform and invest in agricultural science and technology NOW.

Address unsustainable population growth as well. This is the moment that the government must show strong political will in doing what is right than doing what is popular (not that RH bill is unpopular, in fact, it is supported by a wide range of population as a means to curb poverty. Only the noisy Catholic sects oppose this.)

-----------------------------------------------
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/...d.php?t=495225

[maikimai]

Dammit this is scary.

[TFF]

"WAR IS COMING HOME"
Where in the world where a shortage of food is going to have a hard impact...hmmm someplace with billions of people...hmmm somewhere north of the Philippines...has a large armed forces with nuclear stockpiles to boot. Well at least it answers the overpopulation stuff...91 million Filipinos down to fewer than 20 thousand after initial blast then down to 1000 or less after radiation takes its toll. Next problem...Filipino is an endangered race.

[Ghost Rider]

"WAR IS COMING HOME"
Where in the world where a shortage of food is going to have a hard impact...hmmm someplace with billions of people...hmmm somewhere north of the Philippines...has a large armed forces with nuclear stockpiles to boot. Well at least it answers the overpopulation stuff...91 million Filipinos down to fewer than 20 thousand after initial blast then down to 1000 or less after radiation takes its toll. Next problem...Filipino is an endangered race.

They don't need to do that, just look kung sino ang karamihan ng investors sa Pinas, and ang dami na rin nila dito, both documented and undocumented. President pa lang ng bansang eto may dugo nila

Hindi natin mamamalayan, sila na ang dominant dito

[yehehay]

Planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts say
Agence France-Presse
02/21/2011



WASHINGTON—A growing, more affluent population competing for ever scarcer resources could make for an "unrecognizable" world by 2050, researchers warned at a major US science conference Sunday.

The United Nations has predicted the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, "with almost all of the growth occurring in poor countries, particularly Africa and South Asia," said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council.

To feed all those mouths, "we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000," said Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

"By 2050 we will not have a planet left that is recognizable" if current trends continue, Clay said.

[TuxTips]

Well if your president is pre occupied with GMA instead of solving this problem then you are all doomed, yes "you all", not me.

And they too, since i dont think you can eat sugar canes for the rest of their lives.

[BatangMannitol]

Lols population is not the problem.. the real problem is man's greediness specially the rich ones.

[Ghost Rider]

^ nice, naninisi nanaman sa mayaman, hahaha. kasalanan ba nila kung bakit maraming anak ang wala na ngang makain?

bakit di mo sabihan ang mga walang trabaho at tambay na wag mag-anak ng 10 para makatulong naman sa tax payers at gobyerno, mabawasan man lang ang subsidies sa education, food and living allowance, medical, atbp. hanggang sa tumanda sila. Yung iba pa sa 10 na yan pag hindi naging maganda pagpapalaki magiging sakit ng lipunan.

[TuxTips]

Lols population is not the problem.. the real problem is man's greediness specially the rich ones.

No no, the rich ones has nothing to do with it, yes some called oligarchs but not all, the problem is education.

Educating one self from a lot of things, from how to earn money, how to drive, how to dispose the trash and how to VOTE the right leaders.

[BatangMannitol]

lols^ my point is humanity itself and its system causes the problem rich or poor not the number of population. there's no such thing as overpopulation.. how could you said na overpopulated na ang earth when the current world population to date ay pwede mong ilipat sa texas state lahat ay may bahay at lupa.. although such idea is not suitable.