NOT A DROP TO DRINK

As the Millennium 2000 approached, dozens of articles were written about how the Y2K problem is going to destroy our economy.

The tabloids were packed full of dire predictions of the world coming to an end, scary prophesies from such notables as Nostradamus, Edgar Casey, and dozens of modern day soothe-sayers.

Numerous religious zealots were quoting passages from the bible they say shows proof that the end of the world is near and Armageddon is right around the corner.  They were painting a frightening scenario, but is any of it true?  Who really knows?

One thing is certainly true and can be witnessed first hand.  In 1995, according to a United Nations estimate, world population was at 5.7 billion.

Every two seconds, nine babies are born and three people die.  The net increase of three people each second results in a growth in world population of 10,600 per hour, 254,000 per day, 1,8 million per week, 7.7 million per month, and 93 million per year.  Over eighty percent of the increase is in developing countries, those countries who already have problems feeding their people.  By the year 2000, world population will be at or exceed 9 billion.

That's a lot of people no matter which way you add it up.  And what do people need?  Most of all, they need food, water, and shelter, the three basic need's group.

What about food?  According to many agriculturists and scientists, our present grain production is near capacity.  Even with that capacity, much of it goes to waste because of transportation and marketing nightmares.  In addition, we are destroying a lot of our productive topsoil each year.

Many of us living in the so-called developed countries believe that almighty technology will come through and save us like the U.S. cavalry.  Unfortunately, technology has already reached its present limits.
After decades of steady growth, our food supply is no longer keeping up with population growth.

Fish for instance, is becoming almost as rare as "a round tuit."  "We are seeing the collapse of the world's fisheries from over harvesting in Canada, on our seaboard, and particularly in Asia.  The world demand for food from the ocean is beyond what the ocean can now produce.  The fish and shrimp can't have babies as fast as we can eat them.

And, what about drinking water?  That's one serious item that scares me the most.  With the polluting of our environment and the needs of a growing population, clean drinking water will rapidly become scarcer than food.

Many may scoff and say that the trillions of gallons of water in the oceans can be converted into drinking water.  Conversion can be made, but not fast enough to service the needs of the growing world population.
And what will happen?

Some may not agree, but most of the wars ever fought, were fought because of one thing - an empty stomach!

As soon as the "developing" countries - with 90 percent of the population - see the developed countries, THAT'S US, basking in food, drinking all the pure water we need, and rapidly gobbling up other fading resources, they're gonna want a piece of the pie, a very big piece.

Our American scientists say that if everyone were to achieve the general wealth and living standards of the United States, the world's resources would not last ten years.

As I mentioned, we Americans can produce far more food than we can consume, but the problem lies in getting that surplus food to those who need it.  A good example would be the Ethiopian famine.  Enough food went to waste in the United States to feed all those people dying from hunger, but, we had no way to get it to them, and what did get to them rotted in warehouses due to political corruption.

No, I have a feeling that in not too distant a future, not millions, but billions of starving people will come knocking on our door.

And, when we won't let them in, they're gonna say - tough, we're coming in anyway.

Also, if you think the price for a gallon of gas is high, wait until you have to pay $10 or more for a quart of drinking water.

I am no scientist or economist nor am I an alarmist, but the picture is as clear to me as Armageddon is too many others.  If we don't do something about population control, and do it quick, we won't need an end to the world; we will have given birth to it. God promised not to destroy the world by flood again, but what about a flood of people?  It would be an ironic gesture, wouldn't it?

I don't know the answer but we'd best be finding one.  Of course, we can continue to play ostrich and keep our head in the sand; but with our heads in the sand, guess which part of our body is left sticking up in the air?

Water- water everywhere, and not a drop to drink!