Why would I think we are our own worst enemy?
Climate Change
Last month I wrote about the UN study that warned of the continued risk of global warming, climate change. I expressed my surprise that this issue wasn’t being taken more seriously. Since then we have heard from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the overuse of antibiotics and that it has created resistance globally.
We have seen several celebrities promoting books or their own documentaries on healthy diets or the diabetes/obesity epidemic. Then finally on May 6th, 2014 the White House released their report on climate change and how it will affect the different regions of our country. I view all of these issues interconnected and related to the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution made its way to America approximately 150 years ago. We saw advancements in every area including transportation, medicine and technology.
Medical Advancements
Within the medical realm Edward Jenner worked on an immunization to eradicate the small pox virus. This was the beginning foundation of today’s immunology. Later in the 1800’s scientists began to discover and implement the use of different antibiotics including the widely known and accepted penicillin.
Transportation
Also, around the 1800’s we saw major growth in transportation, mainly the use of railway. The railway changed the way people and foods were able to move about the country. Using railways for transporting food changed how and what people living in urban areas were able to consume. We began consuming foods that were not grown within our local regions.
The technological advances with machinery meant that we were no longer working our bodies as much. We had gas or electric powered tools to do the work for us. Don’t get me wrong I am grateful for the Industrial Revolution. If it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be able to sit here typing this on a computer while being able to stay at home and take care of my child in an air-conditioned home. I do think that the Industrial Revolution though has caused a nation and world of connected yet disconnected people. Let me explain.
Farming Practices
As I mentioned above the railway* opened the possibility of moving more people and food throughout the country. By transporting food longer distances this created a challenge for farmers. How to get their food moved while also keeping it safe to eat? This became an opportunity for a middleman to come in and develop preservative processes. Refrigeration was developed keeping meat and vegetation fresh longer. The development of preservatives came shortly after this. Processing foods with chemicals or salt that would help them last much longer. This change has created a society that is disconnected from the farmer and from the source of our food.
How many people know that Brussel sprouts grow on a stalk or that basil is a finicky herb that likes specific growing conditions? Most of society wants to walk into a grocery store and get what they want for the cheapest price they can. There is little thought into the challenges that a farmer might have in producing those goods.
Over time the crop demands changed farming practices to industrial farms that produce one crop. Many farms now till the land rather than relying on crop diversity to ensure soil health. Soil health impacts the environment and the nutrients in our food. Tilling the land releases carbon dioxide, one of the major contributors to climate change.
Scientific Advancement
The scientific advancements made since the revolution have helped us live through many common ailments that were once fatal. Antibiotics played a major role in this shift. Unfortunately, they have become widely used for minor infections or as protection against getting infections. They are also being used in livestock with the assumption that the livestock will remain healthy. This means that we are ingesting small amounts through our food.
In the World Health Organizations recent report this overuse of antibiotics has now created a situation where simple infections are no longer treatable. The report sites that gonorrhea is untreatable in 10 countries.
Scientists have also worked on chemicals to help farmers combat weeds and bugs to help increase their crop sizes. Just as microbes have changed to avoid destruction by antibiotics, weeds and bugs are adapting to withstand the use of pesticides and herbicides. It seems that humans are the only ones not adapting to our changing world.
Who is the enemy?
We have developed quick and easy ways to communicate via cell phones and the internet. Unfortunately, more people are reporting feeling lonely and disconnected. As humans we have developed faster safer ways to get places. Yet, over 1 million people die each year in car accidents. We have made many medical improvements. But the third leading cause of death in the United States is related to medical errors.
It is time for us to wake up. We must take better care of the planet. We can not nourish ourselves without healthy soil. By slowing down and taking time to grow our food locally we can heal our mind body and soul. We can move our bodies, interact with those in our community and be exposed to the healthy bacteria in our environment.
* Countryside Magazine – Food and the fast track – by Jerri Cook Volume 94 number 5, 2010
