Below is an article from 2012, that I believe to be relevant to our current predicament; however, keep in mind while reading this that the 2014 drought conditions are WORSE. To make this point clear, I have attached a picture at the bottom with the latest USA drought diagram for your easy reference.
Article: Drought Now…Famine Next? By Nestor A. Toro
"Remember the Old Testament story of Joseph and his explanation of Pharaoh’s two vexing dreams? Dual nightmares for the Egyptian king included fantastic imagery of seven healthy cows being devoured by seven gaunt, emaciated heifers - and 7 lush heads of grain being consumed by 7 shriveled heads. Joseph told Pharaoh this meant “7 years of great plenty” followed by “7 years of famine.” Due to this advance warning, this center of the ancient world averted devastating catastrophe by implementing a nationwide food storage plan. Looking out at meager, sun-scorched fields today, Corn-Belt farmers may be asking: Where is Joseph when you need him?
This year, more than 61% of the contiguous United States has experienced moderate to exceptional drought, 59% of the nation’s pastures and ranges are in poor or very poor condition, and nearly a 1/3 of America’s corn crop has been damaged. Add to this the brutal heat. “Federal scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s,” The Associated Press reported. Unable to control the temperature or precipitation levels, farmers are facing a crisis that is as basic as it gets: no water, no crops. No crops, no cattle—no food.
An essay from a Missouri family farmer, featured on cnn.com, explained the drought’s widespread effects: “No crops means no feed for livestock…In the end, this will lead to increased food prices. A number of livestock farmers and ranchers will be faced with difficult decisions. Some will be forced to leave the farm or ranch and find new jobs in neighboring towns, while others may have to sell their family farm or ranch. ‘The bottom line is: If you eat, this drought will affect you.’” For now, many see the effects of a rainless summer as filled with petty inconveniences. For example, numerous roads are littered with new potholes and frustrated homeowners are paying to have their browning grass painted green. Yet there are also serious immediate effects: sweltering heat waves have killed more than 100 people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ranked 2012 as the nation’s hottest year on record, and conditions causing crop shortages continue to spread.
A climate scientist told Forbes that such conditions in Mexico, Texas and in the Southwest were “predicted and [are] usual for a La Nina event. But the drought’s expansion into the Midwest and the East Coast is not a typical La Nina occurrence…nor are the record-breaking high temperatures that have accompanied it.” The dry heat caused over 1,300 counties across the country to be declared “natural disaster” zones by the Department of Agriculture. It also sparked some of the worst wildfires in history and charred at least three million acres. Due to drought, many stock animals have died; others are malnourished, sick or traumatized, prompting massive early cattle sales. Also, insect-borne diseases are spiking.
For the United States, which has enjoyed decades of plenty and served as the breadbasket of the world, thoughts of going hungry seem beyond far-fetched. Yet a massive food crisis is on the world’s doorstep, and for the first time in many Americans’ lives, it is poised to directly—and severely—affect them. As extreme drought lingers, lawns brown, food prices steadily increase, and farmers plow under failed crops, most of America will likely still be thinking: 2012 is a very dry year.
What they should be thinking, though, is: Could we have seen this coming? The answer? Yes. Instead of focusing on the underlying causes of drought, most see only the surface effects. Generally, the negative impact that receives the most press in the United States is the same: how it affects everyone’s pocketbooks. Among natural disasters, droughts are some of the most expensive. A senior scientist and meteorologist told USA Today that “the consensus among meteorologists is that 2012 already has surpassed 2011’s $12 billion in drought losses, according to Steve Bowen, senior scientist and meteorologist for Aon Benfield, a global reinsurance firm in Chicago. He said it ‘may not be out of the question’ that this year’s impact could rival 1988 and 1980 droughts, which had $78 billion and $56 billion in losses (in 2012 dollars).” The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service stated that consumers will “likely see impacts within two months for beef, pork, poultry and dairy (especially fluid milk). The full effects of the increase in corn prices for packaged and processed foods (cereal, corn flour, etc.) will likely take 10-12 months to move through to retail food prices."
Corn prices have risen more than 50% this summer and soybeans experienced a spike of about 25%. Nations that export grain then pass rising costs on to those that import. Yet focusing too much on “the Almighty Dollar” masks another problem: what happens if there is no food to buy? Realize what is at stake.
“The United States is the leading producer and exporter of corn, the world’s feedgrain,” a Guardian article stated. “At home, corn accounts for 4/5s of the US grain harvest. Internationally, the US corn crop exceeds China’s rice and wheat harvests combined. Among the big 3 grains: corn, wheat, and rice - corn is now the leader, with production well above that of wheat and nearly double that of rice...Welcome to the new geopolitics of food scarcity. As food supplies tighten, we are moving into a new food era, one in which it is every country for itself…Time is running out. The world may be much closer to an unmanageable food shortage—replete with soaring food prices, spreading food unrest, and ultimately political instability—than most people realize.”
The American drought is causing much more than dry soil. Lower water levels hold less oxygen and higher temperatures, leading to mass fish deaths. “In Iowa, losses were estimated at $10.1 million after 37,000 fish were found dead along a 42-mile stretch of the Des Moines River from the dam in Eldon to the Farmington Bridge in the northeast of the state,” Reuters reported. In Texas, “…drought conditions have caused cattle producers to move their herds from pastures where water tanks have dried to new pastures with healthier water supplies,” AccuWeather stated. “The cattle then gorge themselves on too much water and die within minutes of water intoxication...”
Also, abnormally warm weather is causing spikes in wild animal populations, which naturally lead to increased disease. “‘More animals overall means more potentially infected animals, leading to an increase in overall rabies incidence,’ Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] rabies program,” told Wired magazine. “‘Our 2-year drought might be playing a role as well.’ Rupprecht notes that in the bone-dry central United States, where animals are forced to congregate at fewer and fewer available water sources, the uptick in rabid wildlife is even more pronounced.” In addition, the National Pest Management Association reported that higher temperatures are causing “increased populations of many pests, including ants, fleas, ticks, termites, scorpions, brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders, Japanese beetles, pincher bugs and earwigs.” This year boasted the highest number of reported mosquito-borne West Nile Virus cases since 2004. Yet these are all just effects of an abnormally hot and dry summer.
Return to the question posed earlier: “Could we have seen this coming?” Instead, phrase it another way: “Has this sort of thing happened before?” Famine (usually due to severe, extended drought) has created “make or break” events for prominent civilizations throughout history. Examples abound of great cultures that first thrived due to settling near fertile ground. Time and again, these great empires favored farming practices that wore out the soil’s capacity to retain moisture and made it unfit for growing food.
In the book, World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse, Lester R. Brown gave an example of one civilization that ended this way: “For the Mayans, it was deforestation and soil erosion. As more and more land was cleared for farming to support the expanding empire, soil erosion undermined the productivity of their tropical soils. A team of scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has noted that the extensive land clearing by the Mayans likely also altered the regional climate, reducing rainfall. In effect, the scientists suggest, it was the convergence of several environmental trends, some reinforcing others, that led to the food shortages that brought down the Mayan civilization.”
Throughout history, mankind has taken too much out of the earth—nutrients, minerals, microorganisms, etc.—while giving too little, if any, back. Regions inhabited by great ancient civilizations such as the Chinese, Akkadians, Mesopotamians, Persians, Romans, Maya and Sumerians all show signs of having enjoyed astounding resources that were unwisely misused. Archeological digs evidence overproduction, poor irrigation, and pollution - all of which hastened the demise of the greatest empires. Today could have been different - should have been different. Yet the modern world refused to learn the lessons of history. In the pursuit of quick wealth, the same ancient mistakes are alive and well, except that Earth now houses billions more people and more potent pollutants than ever before.
Mr. Brown continues, “Although we live in a highly urbanized, technologically advanced society, we are as dependent on the earth’s natural support systems as the Sumerians and Mayans were. If we continue with business as usual, civilizational collapse is no longer a matter of whether but when. We now have an economy that is destroying its natural support systems, one that has put us on a decline and collapse path. We are dangerously close to the edge. Peter Goldmark, former Rockefeller Foundation president, puts it well: ‘The death of our civilization is no longer a theory or an academic possibility; it is the road we’re on.’”
Also contributing to the end of history’s great civilizations were overpopulation, squandered resources, overstretched militaries, and actions taken in individual lives. As societies peaked in prosperity, so did materialism, a taste for ultra-violent entertainment, the sexualization of youth, and an overall breakdown of character. 2 prominent examples of this were the grotesque human sacrifices from the Classical Maya and bloody bread-and-circus gladiator battles in ancient Rome. These trends reached their apex as such civilizations declined. America is following this historical pattern. While these conditions can be found the world over, it is U.S. culture the globe is emulating.
Keep this subject simple in your mind. Nations can decide what they want - choosing either prosperity or drought and famine. Keep Watching.
Could this and subsequent droughts have been foreseen? The answer is all around you. Examine the conditions you see every day: the constant barrage of bad news, the conduct of those in your hometown or city, the wild weather hammering the United States…Placed next to the promised blessings and cursings of Deuteronomy 28 (see my next post detailing Bible prophesy from this passage and that of Isaiah), it becomes obvious that the current drought was assured to happen!
Lastly, look at the 2012 drought. Its presence should be a blaring wake-up call (then REMEMBER that the 2014 is even worse). Ancient Israel was to be an example to other nations for all ages. If it kept God’s commandments and statutes, He promised them tremendous abundance. These blessings were designed to inspire other nations to also want to obey God. Yet Israel did not comply. The Creator declares that He “brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when you entered, you defiled My land, and made Mine heritage an abomination” (Jeremiah 2:7). Even more than Israel in the Promised Land centuries ago—this verse applies to the United States!
Article: Drought Now…Famine Next? By Nestor A. Toro
"Remember the Old Testament story of Joseph and his explanation of Pharaoh’s two vexing dreams? Dual nightmares for the Egyptian king included fantastic imagery of seven healthy cows being devoured by seven gaunt, emaciated heifers - and 7 lush heads of grain being consumed by 7 shriveled heads. Joseph told Pharaoh this meant “7 years of great plenty” followed by “7 years of famine.” Due to this advance warning, this center of the ancient world averted devastating catastrophe by implementing a nationwide food storage plan. Looking out at meager, sun-scorched fields today, Corn-Belt farmers may be asking: Where is Joseph when you need him?
This year, more than 61% of the contiguous United States has experienced moderate to exceptional drought, 59% of the nation’s pastures and ranges are in poor or very poor condition, and nearly a 1/3 of America’s corn crop has been damaged. Add to this the brutal heat. “Federal scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s,” The Associated Press reported. Unable to control the temperature or precipitation levels, farmers are facing a crisis that is as basic as it gets: no water, no crops. No crops, no cattle—no food.
An essay from a Missouri family farmer, featured on cnn.com, explained the drought’s widespread effects: “No crops means no feed for livestock…In the end, this will lead to increased food prices. A number of livestock farmers and ranchers will be faced with difficult decisions. Some will be forced to leave the farm or ranch and find new jobs in neighboring towns, while others may have to sell their family farm or ranch. ‘The bottom line is: If you eat, this drought will affect you.’” For now, many see the effects of a rainless summer as filled with petty inconveniences. For example, numerous roads are littered with new potholes and frustrated homeowners are paying to have their browning grass painted green. Yet there are also serious immediate effects: sweltering heat waves have killed more than 100 people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ranked 2012 as the nation’s hottest year on record, and conditions causing crop shortages continue to spread.
A climate scientist told Forbes that such conditions in Mexico, Texas and in the Southwest were “predicted and [are] usual for a La Nina event. But the drought’s expansion into the Midwest and the East Coast is not a typical La Nina occurrence…nor are the record-breaking high temperatures that have accompanied it.” The dry heat caused over 1,300 counties across the country to be declared “natural disaster” zones by the Department of Agriculture. It also sparked some of the worst wildfires in history and charred at least three million acres. Due to drought, many stock animals have died; others are malnourished, sick or traumatized, prompting massive early cattle sales. Also, insect-borne diseases are spiking.
For the United States, which has enjoyed decades of plenty and served as the breadbasket of the world, thoughts of going hungry seem beyond far-fetched. Yet a massive food crisis is on the world’s doorstep, and for the first time in many Americans’ lives, it is poised to directly—and severely—affect them. As extreme drought lingers, lawns brown, food prices steadily increase, and farmers plow under failed crops, most of America will likely still be thinking: 2012 is a very dry year.
What they should be thinking, though, is: Could we have seen this coming? The answer? Yes. Instead of focusing on the underlying causes of drought, most see only the surface effects. Generally, the negative impact that receives the most press in the United States is the same: how it affects everyone’s pocketbooks. Among natural disasters, droughts are some of the most expensive. A senior scientist and meteorologist told USA Today that “the consensus among meteorologists is that 2012 already has surpassed 2011’s $12 billion in drought losses, according to Steve Bowen, senior scientist and meteorologist for Aon Benfield, a global reinsurance firm in Chicago. He said it ‘may not be out of the question’ that this year’s impact could rival 1988 and 1980 droughts, which had $78 billion and $56 billion in losses (in 2012 dollars).” The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service stated that consumers will “likely see impacts within two months for beef, pork, poultry and dairy (especially fluid milk). The full effects of the increase in corn prices for packaged and processed foods (cereal, corn flour, etc.) will likely take 10-12 months to move through to retail food prices."
Corn prices have risen more than 50% this summer and soybeans experienced a spike of about 25%. Nations that export grain then pass rising costs on to those that import. Yet focusing too much on “the Almighty Dollar” masks another problem: what happens if there is no food to buy? Realize what is at stake.
“The United States is the leading producer and exporter of corn, the world’s feedgrain,” a Guardian article stated. “At home, corn accounts for 4/5s of the US grain harvest. Internationally, the US corn crop exceeds China’s rice and wheat harvests combined. Among the big 3 grains: corn, wheat, and rice - corn is now the leader, with production well above that of wheat and nearly double that of rice...Welcome to the new geopolitics of food scarcity. As food supplies tighten, we are moving into a new food era, one in which it is every country for itself…Time is running out. The world may be much closer to an unmanageable food shortage—replete with soaring food prices, spreading food unrest, and ultimately political instability—than most people realize.”
The American drought is causing much more than dry soil. Lower water levels hold less oxygen and higher temperatures, leading to mass fish deaths. “In Iowa, losses were estimated at $10.1 million after 37,000 fish were found dead along a 42-mile stretch of the Des Moines River from the dam in Eldon to the Farmington Bridge in the northeast of the state,” Reuters reported. In Texas, “…drought conditions have caused cattle producers to move their herds from pastures where water tanks have dried to new pastures with healthier water supplies,” AccuWeather stated. “The cattle then gorge themselves on too much water and die within minutes of water intoxication...”
Also, abnormally warm weather is causing spikes in wild animal populations, which naturally lead to increased disease. “‘More animals overall means more potentially infected animals, leading to an increase in overall rabies incidence,’ Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] rabies program,” told Wired magazine. “‘Our 2-year drought might be playing a role as well.’ Rupprecht notes that in the bone-dry central United States, where animals are forced to congregate at fewer and fewer available water sources, the uptick in rabid wildlife is even more pronounced.” In addition, the National Pest Management Association reported that higher temperatures are causing “increased populations of many pests, including ants, fleas, ticks, termites, scorpions, brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders, Japanese beetles, pincher bugs and earwigs.” This year boasted the highest number of reported mosquito-borne West Nile Virus cases since 2004. Yet these are all just effects of an abnormally hot and dry summer.
Return to the question posed earlier: “Could we have seen this coming?” Instead, phrase it another way: “Has this sort of thing happened before?” Famine (usually due to severe, extended drought) has created “make or break” events for prominent civilizations throughout history. Examples abound of great cultures that first thrived due to settling near fertile ground. Time and again, these great empires favored farming practices that wore out the soil’s capacity to retain moisture and made it unfit for growing food.
In the book, World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse, Lester R. Brown gave an example of one civilization that ended this way: “For the Mayans, it was deforestation and soil erosion. As more and more land was cleared for farming to support the expanding empire, soil erosion undermined the productivity of their tropical soils. A team of scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has noted that the extensive land clearing by the Mayans likely also altered the regional climate, reducing rainfall. In effect, the scientists suggest, it was the convergence of several environmental trends, some reinforcing others, that led to the food shortages that brought down the Mayan civilization.”
Throughout history, mankind has taken too much out of the earth—nutrients, minerals, microorganisms, etc.—while giving too little, if any, back. Regions inhabited by great ancient civilizations such as the Chinese, Akkadians, Mesopotamians, Persians, Romans, Maya and Sumerians all show signs of having enjoyed astounding resources that were unwisely misused. Archeological digs evidence overproduction, poor irrigation, and pollution - all of which hastened the demise of the greatest empires. Today could have been different - should have been different. Yet the modern world refused to learn the lessons of history. In the pursuit of quick wealth, the same ancient mistakes are alive and well, except that Earth now houses billions more people and more potent pollutants than ever before.
Mr. Brown continues, “Although we live in a highly urbanized, technologically advanced society, we are as dependent on the earth’s natural support systems as the Sumerians and Mayans were. If we continue with business as usual, civilizational collapse is no longer a matter of whether but when. We now have an economy that is destroying its natural support systems, one that has put us on a decline and collapse path. We are dangerously close to the edge. Peter Goldmark, former Rockefeller Foundation president, puts it well: ‘The death of our civilization is no longer a theory or an academic possibility; it is the road we’re on.’”
Also contributing to the end of history’s great civilizations were overpopulation, squandered resources, overstretched militaries, and actions taken in individual lives. As societies peaked in prosperity, so did materialism, a taste for ultra-violent entertainment, the sexualization of youth, and an overall breakdown of character. 2 prominent examples of this were the grotesque human sacrifices from the Classical Maya and bloody bread-and-circus gladiator battles in ancient Rome. These trends reached their apex as such civilizations declined. America is following this historical pattern. While these conditions can be found the world over, it is U.S. culture the globe is emulating.
Keep this subject simple in your mind. Nations can decide what they want - choosing either prosperity or drought and famine. Keep Watching.
Could this and subsequent droughts have been foreseen? The answer is all around you. Examine the conditions you see every day: the constant barrage of bad news, the conduct of those in your hometown or city, the wild weather hammering the United States…Placed next to the promised blessings and cursings of Deuteronomy 28 (see my next post detailing Bible prophesy from this passage and that of Isaiah), it becomes obvious that the current drought was assured to happen!
Lastly, look at the 2012 drought. Its presence should be a blaring wake-up call (then REMEMBER that the 2014 is even worse). Ancient Israel was to be an example to other nations for all ages. If it kept God’s commandments and statutes, He promised them tremendous abundance. These blessings were designed to inspire other nations to also want to obey God. Yet Israel did not comply. The Creator declares that He “brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when you entered, you defiled My land, and made Mine heritage an abomination” (Jeremiah 2:7). Even more than Israel in the Promised Land centuries ago—this verse applies to the United States!