Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) June 12, 2014
Nothing is more important than food security to the safety and economy of the United States and the rest of the world, according to Climatologist L. DeWayne Cecil, PhD, speaking on the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water® radio show. Obviously, no country can survive without food but producing food requires fresh water, which is increasing short supply. Capturing, treating and transporting water requires energy. And conversely, many forms of energy production require massive amounts of water.
Food, water and energy security, Cecil concludes, are interdependent. Achieving security in one area is not possible without security in the other two.
L. DeWayne Cecil, PhD, has had a distinguished career as a Climatologist and Atmospheric Scientist in academic, government and private research settings. He has been employed as a researcher for the USGS Water Resources Discipline, the NASA Earth Observation Satellite program, and as Director of NOAA’a Western Region Climate Services. Most recently, Cecil has been employed as Chief Climatologist for Global Science and Technology, Inc.
The globally syndicated Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water® radio show, with host Sharon Kleyne, is heard on the VoiceAmerica Variety and Health and Wellness Channels, and on Apple iTunes. Kleyne is Founder of Bio Logic Aqua Research, a research, technology and product development center, and the world’s only company specializing in fresh water, atmosphere and health. Natures Tears® EyeMist® is the Research Center’s global signature product for dry eyes.
Dr. Cecil is a frequent Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water® guest reporting on topics relating to water, weather and atmosphere.
Between food, water and energy, Kleyne and Cecil agree, water security is the most problematic. Of Earth’s 7 billion inhabitants, 1.9 billion lack adequate water for drinking, agriculture, sanitation and industry. With global climate change and a growing world population, the situation is rapidly worsening. Most of the world’s conflicts ultimately trace to water disputes.
Economic growth is not possible where there is inadequate food, water or energy.
Dr. Cecil believes that there is sufficient fresh water, food and energy production capacity to meet the needs of everyone. The problem is that they are not evenly distributed and leaders are too often greedy, shortsighted and unable to think globally.
The good news, according to Kleyne, is that food security, internationally, appears to be improving. The 2014 Global Food Security Index, a measure of food security in 109 countries based on 28 markers, shows improvement in 70-percent of countries (“DuPont Sponsored 2014 Global Food Security Index Shows Significant Improvements.” Globe Newswire, May 28, 2014).
In the United States, according to Cecil, food security tends to be fragmented and variable. He cites Texas and Indiana as self-sufficient states with progressive food security policies. California, the nation’s most agriculturally productive state, is almost entirely dependent on irrigation and the state’s vast and highly complex water system, maintained by numerous Federal, state and regional agencies, has been failing in the face of the recent extended drought.
A major factor in US security, Cecil notes, is the stability and security of trading partners. Saudi Arabia, according to Cecil, has a population of 27 million on land that is only 1% arable and has no rivers. Oil constitutes 80% of the Saudi economy but production was recently surpassed by Russia and the United States. Political instability in Saudi Arabia could be disastrous to the world economy. Saudi Arabia imports most of its food and water.
Cecil concludes with a warning that although food security is improving globally, a two year drought, which is certainly possible, could create significant security problems in the US and worldwide. California agriculture could fail and the countries supplying Saudi Arabia could fail. And that’s only two possible scenarios.
The solution, Kleyne and Cecil agree, is for all governments everywhere to make food and water security their number one priority and to do it on both a local and a global level. Potentially, there is enough to go around. The question that Cecil and Kleyne ask is, do we have the determination and foresight to make this happen?