A Safe Space For Humanity: The Nexus of Food, Water, Energy, and Climate

Abstract

The 20th Century saw major human triggered transitions that cumulatively are threatening the safety of the habitat for humans on planet earth. Population, resources, and the rapid accumulation of wealth all are intertwined in the 5 major transitions from the past to our new global future. These major transitions are: first, the “urban population transition;” second, the“ nutrition transition;” third, the “climate transition;” fourth, the “energy transition;”and, fifth, the “agricultural transition.” This policy brief focuses on the most salient problems arising from these global transitions that can be ameliorated by specific policy instruments in the short term. Some problems, like climate change, are very important but are not ready to be dealt with by short-term measures; others, like price reform, can and should be dealt with immediately but are inherently politically too difficult to resolve in the short run. Nevertheless, this pragmatic approach still leaves a range of policy changes that could be implemented in the short run. These range from policies encouraging “making agriculture a business not a means of subsistence,” promoting “farmers and marketing cooperatives leading to more equitable and efficient food chains,” encouraging “land aggregation to take advantage of new technologies,” or promoting “commercialization of farming by encouraging Agribiz Parks,” in addition to the usual policies of encouraging improving technical efficiencies for agriculture and food production.