Organic [0] foods sales are growing exponentially, prompting some reflection and analysis here and abroad. An AP article [1] says that U.S. sales have grown “15 to 21 percent each year,” and a piece in the British paper The Guardian [2] reveals that U.K. sales grew a stunning 30 percent in 2005. I’m all for the popularization of organic foods, but there are certainly some downsides to this trend: factory-style “organic” farms and attempts to weaken certification standards, to name two. Another negative effect, highlighted in the AP story, is that food producers are turning to organic food-suppliers in far-flung places in order to meet demand—leading inevitably to more pollution and fossil fuel consumption when the goods are transported.
One might also consider how all this is going to affect prices. Wal-Mart says that it is going to make organic foods more affordable, and it will no doubt use all its retailing wherewithal to do so. But if I remember my economics correctly, when demand increases faster than supply, price goes up. Or will grocery stores slash prices in the race to hook the organic-foods customer?
Other news this week had a very ocean-centric cast: There were stories about overfishing [3], wave energy [4], Spain’s coastal ecosystems [5], sustainable fishing [6], etc. Maybe it’s something about it being summer, and me (and other journalists, politicians, and policymakers) wanting to spend more time at the beach. Or perhaps it’s a sign that our oceans are an important bellwether of climate change and other environmental degradation. I vote for the latter.
The odyssey of ocean journalism is given palpable expression in the predicament of whales. As if Japan’s effort to make it easier to kill whales [7] weren’t enough, the U.S. clearly has its own issues [8] with the ocean mammals. Specifically, a judge prevented the navy from using “active sonar” during maritime war exercises off the coast of Hawaii, because environmentalists have argued that the sonar causes harm to whales and other ocean creatures.
In whale news from our other non-contiguous state—Alaska—the carcass of a beluga whale was found frozen [9] in a freshwater river “nearly 1,000 miles from its natural ocean habitat.” This story reminded me of the whale that was found swimming up the River Thames [10] last year, to the consternation of scientists and the fascination of onlookers. Whenever whales end up so far out of their element, it somehow seems a harbinger of environmental trouble to me, the real-world equivalent of the dolphins in The Hitchhiker’s Gude to the Galaxy trilogy [11] disappearing from the earth with the parting words, “So long, and thanks for all the fish.”
In other aquatic environmental news, the organization that oversees cargo shipping is considering a plan [12] to strengthen emissions standards for shipping vessels. If you ever wanted to gain insight into the local vs. organic-foods-from-far-away argument, this article has some illuminating statistics. Among them: “Over the years, the world fleet of cargo vessels has emerged as a leading source of sulfur oxides, particulates and nitrogen oxides. Many ships emit as much exhaust per day as 12,000 cars.”
Twelve thousand cars? In one day? Perhaps this knowledge would give many of us pause when considering that organic apple from Costa Rica, or the goji berries shipped all the way from the Himalayas. If we skip the imported goods, and go for the local stuff, we might help to encourage a growth in organic food demand that’s more sustainable. What do you think?