Nothing affects public health in the United States more than food. Gun violence kills tens of thousands of Americans a year. Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes kill more than a million people a year — nearly half of all deaths — and diet is a root cause of many of those diseases.
And the root of that dangerous diet is our system of hyper-industrial agriculture, the kind that uses 10 times as much energy as it produces. We must figure out a way to un-invent this food system. It’s been a major contributor to climate change, spawned the obesity crisis, poisoned countless volumes of land and water, wasted energy, tortured billions of animals… I could go on. The point is that “sustainability” is not only possible but essential: only by saving the earth can we save ourselves, and vice versa
This reminded me of the Barbara Kingsolver novel I read over the holidays, called "Flight Behavior." Kingsolver has a background in biology and was initially a science writer. Her book, albeit fictional, is ultimately about climate change. Her view of our chances seems quite dim. I enjoyed the book a lot once I got into it and realized that it wasn't just about the problems of a young Appalachian Mom but much more. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
Kingsolver's book and Bittman's article are reminders that we may well be beyond the canary in the coalmine scenario and onto an appointment in Samarra.
"The Appointment in Samarra"
There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threating getsture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.
www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english320/Maugham-AS.htm
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