Drought in US a chance to re-imagine environment

Hindustan Times , Monday, August 27, 2012
Correspondent : Bharti Chaturvedi,
It is well known now that the United States of America is facing its most severe drought in the last quarter century, with 80% of the agricultural land facing this grim scenario.

About 75% of the corn and soyabean production is likely to be impacted in the country. Food priceswill be climb. And, as many environmentalists point out, this is likely to be an outcome of climate change.

A drought in an election year can be both a disaster and an opportunity. President Obama’s term has not been the revolution it could have been for the planet. Still, the drought, with all it’s undesirable misery opens an opportunity to re-imagine the environment and how Americans engage with it.

For example, bio-fuels. With soaring food prices, the question is not only about bio-fuel viability, but also, about whether the near future is about cars or other forms of transportation? Americans, stuck with the drought, must ensure their Presidential candidates steer them and many others in the world into a more sustainable future.

We should be bothered because of the deep impact the United States has on our lives and lifestyles, both directly and as a result of production. Instead of wanting to live the American Dream of the 1990s and 2000s, what if there was a low carbon footprint, less consumptive reality instead?

 
SOURCE : http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Drought-in-US-a-chance-to-re-imagine-environment/Article1-919779.aspx
 


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