He was stating that the problem with the planet was farming, as farmers had continued to produce the food to feed the burgeoning human population, using his figures, from a UK population post-Black Plague of 3 million, to the present day of about 60 million.
I find that philosophy intriguing. I totally agree that there need to be changes to our "living model", to ensure the sustainability of human existence, but I would suggest that farming is the solution, and people are the problem!
In a normal ecosystem, if any species’ population increases beyond the capacity of the environment to sustain it, either famine or disease levels it to "equilibrium".
In the past century or two, on average, man has been able to reduce the impact of human disease by medical science, and farmers have responded to the food demand by increasing production. This has fuelled the human population explosion.
As expectations have risen regarding "living standards", more land (often very productive like Taieri plains, and south of Auckland) is consumed with "lifestyle" properties, or high density housing, reducing horticultural land for food production.
In an effort to still feed the increasing population, farmers are being forced to more marginal areas to produce enough food. This is being exacerbated by the effects of the ETS on land use.
Mr Horne doesn’t seem to acknowledge the effects the "mining" of millennia worth of stored carbon in the form of oil and coal in the last 200 years has had on the planet.
You only need to observe the twice daily "pilgrimage" of people to and from work (often one per SUV) and school to realise how much CO2 and other "stuff" is being released.
Heaven forbid the queues of vehicles towing boats for the holiday jaunts at fuel stations during the summer, often idling away for up to an hour in the queue.
Heaven forbid, visit some of the large cities around the world, and you realise the insignificant effect New Zealand will have (not saying we can’t do our bit).
All of the runoff and emissions created by human activities generated from fossil fuel use are one-way traffic, never to be returned to the place from whence they came.
The animal emissions all originate from pasture that (with the exception of fertiliser inputs) is grown using sunlight, atmospheric CO2, water, soil nutrients, all of which are recycled in natural cycles which have been happening for millennia.
I acknowledge that "agriculture" has made a lot of mistakes, from which we are constantly learning, but suggest Mr Horne (et al!) could take a wider view to see where the real problems are.
— Peter McNab farms Lochindorb Station in South Otago.
