 (CNN) – In Shandong Province in northeastern China, the nation's grain heartland, the worst drought in 60 years has raised the specter of shortages for the world's largest wheat producer. Russia - still reeling from a drought that slashed wheat harvest by nearly 40% and spurred Moscow to ban exports last summer - hopes new, resilient strains of the crop will lead to a resumption of wheat exports. However, soil damaged by the drought means nearly 10% of Russian wheat fields couldn't be planted this year. Social media may have fanned the flames of revolt which toppled governments in Tunisia and Egypt and triggered demonstrations across the Middle East. But the tinderbox was built on high unemployment, corruption and rising food prices. It's a telling sign that the trouble in Tunisia started with the self immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor protesting the police seizure of his produce cart. "I think that we have to be careful, as an international community, not to let food prices become not [only] a national security threat in countries, but a global security threat," Ngozi Iweala, managing director of the World Bank, told CNN. |
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updated 641 GMT, Jun 20
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Meanwhile, one of the bigger causes of higher food prices continues as if there is nothing of interest happening and refuses to reconsider its plans. I refer, of course, to the 40% of the American corn harvest [the world's largest corn harvest] that we insist on pouring into our gas tanks in the form of ethanol.
Subsidies to make and sell ethanol are figured to be $1.78 per gallon [including the lower mileage effect that ethanol delivers to vehicles]. Surely, this is waste on a grand scale and, arguably, a blow by one of the world's richest nations directly to the world's poorest peoples.
No wonder America has fewer friends in the world than she needs.
The difference between rich citizens and poor citizens are widening in rich countries(It's already too wide in poor countries). So are the difference between rich countries and poor countries. Meanwhile the environment and creatures continue to be destroyed wastefully by mankind. Some staunch mismanagement here in this planet.
What charming answer
You are mistaken. I can prove it. Write to me in PM, we will discuss.