Egypt's unrest may have roots in food prices, U.S. Fed policy

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

egypt just needs a new tax to solve this problem.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

egypt just needs a new tax to solve this problem.

More pyramids?

[mawilson 2,133]

More pyramids?

A pyramid scheme?

[lostinblue 1,989]

The ancient Egyptians not only managed, but thrived for thousands of years off the Nile. With enough water and fertile soil, you can grow crops just about anywhere.

there were 5 major population contractions in China between 1000 CE and 1911, and all of them occurred in periods with a cold climate, when mortality crises triggered population collapses. [Abstract]

How much fun can you have in a long frost? Almost every kind of uprising, pain or plague.

In one population crash, the losses were as high as 49% of the peak. In the face of a 50:50 death rate, “perspective” doesn’t seem like quite the right word.

Data on Chinese history, including temperature, wars and rebellions, epidemics, famines, and population for the past millennium were examined. Over the study interval of 911 years, it was found that nomad migrations, rebellions, wars, epidemics, floods, and droughts were all higher in cold periods. All of these factors tended to act to disrupt population growth or cause mortality. Overall, 5 of 6 population contractions, with losses of 11.4 to 49.4% of peak population, were associated with a cooling climate. The 6th cool period evinced a great reduction in growth rate during a cool phase, but not a collapse. None of the population contractions were associated with a warming climate. (My emphasis)

In an earlier paper Zhang showed that colder weather was linked to wars, probably due to less food.

In analyzing the linkages they found to exist among these different factors, the international (Chinese, French, German, Norwegian) team of researchers concluded that “food production during the last two millennia has been more unstable during cooler periods, resulting in more social conflicts,” while specifically noting that “cooling shows direct positive association with the frequency of external aggression war to the Chinese dynasties mostly from the northern pastoral nomadic societies, and indirect positive association with the frequency of internal war within the Chinese dynasties through drought and locust plagues,” which have typically been more pronounced during cooler as opposed to warmer times.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

''Virtual water,'' water needed for crop production, is now being mainstreamed in the water policy world.

Relying on virtual water in the form of food imports is increasingly recommended as good policy for water-scarce

areas. Virtual water globalizes discussions on water scarcity, ecological sustainability, food security and consumption.

Presently the concept is creating much noise in the water and food policy world, which contributes to its politicization.

We will argue that the virtual water debate is also a ''real water'' and food and agricultural policy debate and hence has

political effects. Decisions about food strategies and resource allocation play out on the national political economy,

benefiting some while harming others. Therefore, a policy choice for virtual water is not politically neutral.

''Real water'' interventions are, likewise, inspired by economic as well as political considerations like control of the

countryside, geopolitical strategy, and food sovereignty (independence from international political conditionality and

market uncertainties). To illustrate these ideas, we look into case studies of Egypt and the State of Punjab in India. In

India, a debate on the merits and demerits of a virtual water strategy is now emerging. In Egypt, which switched to

food imports in the early 1970s, a long-standing taboo on debating virtual water is now being relaxed.

http://www.springerl...5n/fulltext.pdf

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

http://www.springerl...5n/fulltext.pdf

Virtual water? Is that anything like virtual sex?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Virtual water? Is that anything like virtual sex?

(from above extract)

‘‘Virtual water’’ is rapidly becoming a key concept in

scientific and policy debates about regional, national and

global water scarcity (Kumar and Singh, 2005).1 Virtual

water, ‘‘the water required to produce water-intensive

commodities such as grain’’ (Allan, 2002), links the

challenge of water scarcity to global, regional and local

trade flows. The concept has started on a remarkable

march through academic institutions, development

agencies, agricultural research and planning institutions,

and development policy institutions (Rosegrant et al.,

2002; World Water Council, 2004; UNESCO, 2006).

Thebasic idea is economic: the lions share of exploited

global water resources – up to 90% – goes to food

production, leaving 10% for drinking and other uses

(Allan, 1998). Resulting water scarcity problems can be

solved and economic efficiency of water use increased by

adapting global and regional food trade to spatial variations

in water scarcity. In this view a net water-saving

effect can be reached by concentrating production of

water-intensive food crops and products with low water

productivity in water-abundant countries while turning

water-scarce countries into food importers and producers

of less water-intensive crops. While agricultural production

in the former tends to be based on rain-fed

agriculture, in the latter it requires complex interventions

in the ‘‘real’’ water cycle (irrigation systems, dams,groundwater

extraction) that often contribute to depletion

of scarce water resources and ecological degradation

(Chapagain et al., 2005; UNESCO, 2006; Wichelns,

2001).2

According to some virtual water analysts, countries or

regions with a water deficit can increase national food

security by importing water-intensive food. The virtual

water discussion focuses primarily on water-deficient

countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA

region), where several countries have experienced temporary

deficits since the 1950s and demand started

exceeding supply in the early 1970s. Egypt usually

serves as an example of a country that, consciously if

quietly, avoids hydro-political crisis by its strategy of

virtual water import, according to Allan, who coined the

concept (Allan, 1997; 1998; 2002). Stressing that ‘‘more

water flows into the MENA region annually as virtual

water than flows down the Nile into Egypt,’’ Allan has

called virtual water ‘‘the dream solution in water-stressed

economies’’ (Allan, 2002: 29). First, virtual water is

cheap thanks to subsidized foodgrains and trade below

production costs. Second, virtual water is politically

‘‘silent’’ and ‘‘therefore not politically controversial’’

(Allan, 1998: 545). With this solution at hand, why

should countries look for hydraulic solutions or risk

‘‘water wars’’?

[mawilson 2,133]

You can't quench your thirst with virtual water.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Sounds like the same convoluted thinking that came up with carbon credits.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

Sounds like the same convoluted thinking that came up with carbon credits.

we need to tax water too!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Sounds like the same convoluted thinking that came up with carbon credits.

Pet rocks.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Check out FNC. Somebody is firing weapons, and tanks are moving in.

[^_^ 5,021]

Check out FNC. Somebody is firing weapons, and tanks are moving in.

I see it. Well I don't see it, Shep says I see it but I don't see it. I see nothing. It all looks dark to me.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I see it. Well I don't see it, Shep says I see it but I don't see it. I see nothing. It all looks dark to me.

I heard gunfire earlier, and now, I see lots of people milling around.

[^_^ 5,021]

Yeah they're standing around. It all looks so tame. Shep keeps talking about violence, well it's not visible in the shot he's showing us.