Critical Review: “Food’s Footprint: Agriculture and Climate Change” by Jennifer Burney

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Summary of the main points
The ethical question
Agriculture and climate change
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The ability to unravel the current quagmire surrounding the causes and effects of global warming on food and agricultural production remain the key area towards effective policy design, management application and eventual sustainability assimilation in society.

Although food security is the main driver and core determinant of the level of economic development, it presents a major paradox to the policy makers who are undecided between conservation of nature and economic development.

According to Jennifer Burney in the film Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change, the problem has been further complicated by emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and uncertainties presented by poor understanding of carbon dioxide chemical cycle.

In order to effectively address the effects of global warming, Burney presents a critical review of the emissions and their impacts on agriculture. This critique presents an intrinsic evaluation of the film by analyzing the emerging concerns surrounding global warming, sensitivity of the environment and food shortages.

Summary of the main points

The suitability of any publication is gauged on the impact it makes to the target audience. In order to achieve the key objective of this film, Jennifer Burney discusses major elements unsustainable environmental management. The problem of global warming is brought out from a historical and statistical point of view (“Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change”).

From the film, the audience is left without any doubt of various conclusions drawn from the discussion as they are accompanied by derivative equations. Besides, key relevant resources are consulted to support the views and arrive at different recommendations. From the onset of the short film, there is great coherence and flow of ideas that make the audience to follow every section with ease.

One of the main points from the film is that effective environmental management is the most critical concept that enhances sustainable agricultural development. It acts as the main link between clear conceptualization of the role played by the environment and the social, biological, political as well as economic affects.

In her review, Burney suggests that factoring in the correct environmental management policies and systems with an international orientation at the local level anchors the realization of the interconnected nature of the environmental spheres (“Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change”).

However, she laments that there has been lack of effective environmental management at the local, corporate, and international levels. This has culminated to a plethora of negative affects especially in food production in the agricultural sector.

Burney also indicates that human beings have made major progresses in climate related studies in the recent past. Even so, it is more certain that the world will be warmer in the next 100 years. Her views cohere with those of the World Watch Institute on the global warming theory.

The latter organization notes that the looming disaster will be due to rising temperatures. The speaker strongly suggests that there is great need to estimate the expected greenhouse gas emissions and also predict the possible temperature rise during the same period (“Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change”).

From the tipping point theory, it is clear that the fast rising temperatures of the globe from the emissions will reach non reversible point where key environmental resources will be damaged beyond effective resilience.

The ethical question

While the government addresses the problem of agriculture and food security, Burney argues that there is great omission of ethical concerns. She points out that though economic concerns and the use of technology is indeed crucial, it is more dangerous to threaten food security and the ecosystem by emission of dangerous gases (“Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change”).

Firstly, the expected negative results are unclear and therefore make it even harder to be prepared. Thereafter, the resulting problem may indeed obscure the benefits that have been accrued. For example, if the emission of GHG results into ecological breakdown, the resulting implications such as climate change, food insecurity, irregular weather patterns, and loss of biodiversity are cumbersome to restore.

Agriculture and climate change

Burney notes that the understanding of GHG emissions and their dynamics in the earth system is presented as a critical factor in generating further insight into the possible expected impacts in food production. The speaker is of the view that carbon dioxide and other GHG gases in the atmosphere can be adjusted through key sinks in the ecosystem uptake by the natural vegetation and the sea water diffusion.

In order to make key conclusions of the expected rise in carbon dioxide, she points out that it is critical that the rates of accumulation are considered from the historical point of view and then adjusted to reflect the effects of distribution and impacts of aerosols.

The food insecurity problem caused by emissions released into the atmosphere provides an intrinsic and inclusive demand for a holistic solution. Scientifically, GHGs allow easy penetration of short wavelength radiations from the outer space while obscuring the escape of the long wave radiations from the earth’s surface.

According to Burney, there has been direct build up of the surface temperatures on the earth that has caused massive climate changes. This change has been directly linked to several cases of food shortages in Africa and other parts of the world.

As such, the use of emission trading scheme as suggested in the film provides a systematic method of reducing the total emissions by all the involved stakeholders (“Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change”).

The ability to address the problem of global warming and greenhouse affects become central and comprehensive as governments, private institutions and other related environmental concerned groups are given a chance to participate in addressing the problem.

Conclusion

From the above critique, this paper concludes by supporting the thesis statement that the ability to unravel the current quagmire surrounding the causes and effects of global warming remain integral effective policy design for sustainable environmental conservation.

The problems posed by global warming are critical and therefore require urgent attention. There is also lack of enough goodwill to limit GHG emissions among member countries.

Works Cited

“Food’s footprint: agriculture and climate change”, 2011. You Tube file. Web.

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