搜索
1Agriculture.............................................................................2 Biodiversity................................................................7 Cities....................................................................................12 Climate change.............................................................24 Energy..................................................................................27 Seas and oceans...................................................................31 Waste...................................................................................35 Water.......................................................................................39 .........................................................................................43 .............................64 2AgricultureFeedingtheworld,amillennialoccupationIsthereanynoblermissionthantofeedhumans?Throughouttheworld,1billion,300millionpeople,orhalftheworkingpopulationhasmadethischoice.Thankstothetechnicaladvancesinthepastfiftyyears,thecurrentfarmingproductionissufficienttofeedtheentireplanet.In1950,themostproductiveFrenchfarmerfed8persons.Today,hefeedsanaverage88.However,thesituationisparadoxical:theglobalamountofpoorlyfedpeopleequalsthatoftheover-fed.Indevelopingcountries,1.1billionpeoplesufferfromhunger,halfofwhicharefarmersunabletosustaintheirfamily.Inindustrialcountrieswhere«agriculture»means«abundance»,1.1billionpeopleareoverweightorsufferfromobesity.Inthesecountries,grains,thebasisofhumandietforthepast10000years,havebeenreplacedbymeat.Livestockbreedingrequiresmorelandandwaterthangrowingcrops.IntheUSandinEurope,over60%oftheyearlyproductionofcerealsisdestinedtofeedinganimals.Directlyconsumedbyman,itwouldenableustofeed2billionpeople.Howwillwefeedagrowingworldpopulation(anestimated8billionpersonsby2030)withthesamepattern?Foodforeveryone!Indevelopingcountries,1.1billionpeoplesufferfromhunger.Inindustrialcountries1.1billionpeopleareoverweight11113Pollutioncausedbyagriculture«Earthandwaterareourtreasures»,thisiswhatallfarmerswilltellyou.However,themodernizationofagricultureendedinaraceforprofitabilityandmassproduction.Inordertoincreasetheyieldofcrops,farmersusefertilizers(containingnitrates)andpesticides(containingorganicelements)leadingtosevereproblemsofwaterandsoilpollution.Asaproof,from31milliontonsayearin1960,theglobalconsumptionoffertilizersreached141.3milliontonsin1999!Moreover,whenbadlymanaged,irrigation,increasesthesalinityofthelandandsaturatesitwithwater,turning35.5%ofirrigatedlandintodegradedsoils.Thesetypesofpollutionanddamagealsohavealargeimpactonecosystemsandbiodiversity.Moreover,withglobalisation,agricultureisbecomingincreasinglystandardized.Numerousfruitandvegetablevarietieshavedisappeared,aswellasnumerouslivestockspecieswhichweredeemedunprofitable.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,7098typesofappleswereregisteredintheUS.Today,onlytenorsocanbefoundontheU.S.A.market.AlossofbalanceIntensiveagricultureExcesiveuseofpesticidesandfertilizersisoneoftheproblemrelatedtointensiveagriculture.4Only2%offarmersintheworldownatractor!Oneineverythreefarmersworkswithhisownhandswithoutusinganyfertilizer,anycattlefoodoranyselectedplantvarietyoranimalrace.ThesefiguresshowtheprofoundtechnologicaldisparitiesandproductivitygapsbetweenNorthernandSoutherncountries.Anothersourceofdisparity:theover-producingNortherncountrieshelptheirfarmerswithnumeroussubsidiesandprotecttheaccesstotheirmarketwithcustomdutiesandstrictregulations.Asaresult,southerncountrieshavingalessmodernandlessproductiveagriculturecan'tpossiblyselltotheNorthanddon'thavethenecessarymeanstodeveloptheirownfoodautonomy.InSenegalforexample,followingheavyirrigationinfrastructures,thericeproducedalongtheriverSenegalisthreetimesmoreexpensivethanriceimportedfromThailand!Moreover,thefewproductsexportedbySoutherncountries(coffee,cocoabeans,cotton…)aresubjectedtotheharshrulesoftheworldtrade,onwhichtheyonlyhaveaverysmallinfluence.Pro-organicorpro-GMO:twoirreconcilableextremes?By2050,over60%oftheworldpopulationwillliveincities.Theurbanworldwillexceedtheruralworldforthefirsttimeever.Howwillagriculturereact?Howshouldfood,environmentandsolidaritybereconciled?Particularlyaffectedbyenvironmentalorsanitarycrisessuchlikethemadcowdisease,manycountriesworkatestablishingupanagriculturesystemwhichwouldbe«sustainable»or«reasoned»inecologic,health,andeconomicterms.Twocontinents,EuropeandSouthAmerica,alsostudythetrailoftheso-called«organic»agriculturewhichusesnopesticidesandnochemicals.Today,thissectoronlyrepresents0.35%oftheglobalfarmingproduction.However,itisinfullexpansion.Ontheotherhand,thepowerfulfarm-chemicalindustrieshavedevelopedanewtechnologytheGeneticallyModifiedOrganisms(GMO).Ricewithoutrice-field,insect-proofcotton…Scientistsimproveplantsandanimalsinmodifyingtheirgenes.Shallwebehappyaboutitorworry?SomecountriesliketheUS,China,Argentina,CanadaandBrazilalreadyproducethem(50millionhectares,or1%ofthecultivatedland).Theothersadoptaprincipleofprecaution,waitingtodeterminepre