The current economic crisis, coupled with the

catastrophic effects of global warming, are creating food

shortages around the globe. So serious has the situation

become for dwindling world food stocks, that the United

Nations has issued a dire warning about the looming

dangers being faced by billions of people world wide.

According to an Associated Press News Release back in

April 2008, "The U.N. chief warned Sunday that the world

must urgently increase food production to ease

skyrocketing prices, and pledged to set up a task force

on a crisis threatening to destabilize developing

nations." He went on to say that this has already caused

riots in many countries of the world. The problem of

soaring food prices, combined with poor yields from the

new weather patterns we've entered into, are now an all

too real reality.

According to the Guardian News Service, January 9, 2009,

"Billions face food shortages, study warns. Climate

change may ruin farming in the tropics by 2100. Record

temperatures to become normal in European sample. Half

of the worlds population could face severe food shortages

by the end of the century as rising temperatures take

their toll on farmers' crops, scientists have

warned."

These dire warnings are not just referring to shortages

in the third world, but also closer to home. In an April

2008 article, the New York Sun News Service reported,

"Major retailers in New York, areas in New England and

the West Coast, are limiting purchases of flour, rice,

and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply."
Furthermore, the United States heartland is currently

experiencing both massive drought and devastating

flooding. Australia is also suffering from drought.

Australia lost most of their wheat crop in 2007/2008,

which was down 62% from the previous year.
The fact is, we are entering into a new, and

unprecedented global climate change. According to a

Pentagon report obtained by the Guardian News Service

back in 2004, an imminent scenario of catastrophic

climate change is "plausible and would challenge United

States National Security in ways that should be

considered immediately." The report goes on to say that,

"as early as next year (2005), widespread flooding by a

rise in sea levels will create massive upheaval for

millions." Well, they were close... A devastating

tsunami killing hundreds of thousands occurred early...

in December of 2004.
What does this mean for us? It means that even if we can

afford astronomical food prices, we cannot necessarily

depend on the food being successfully brought to

harvest--thanks in large part to the new weather patterns

we are now experiencing. Also, it's the law of supply

and demand. The less supply, coupled with greater

demand, equals shortages and massive price gouging.
We must each act responsibly by preparing for these

eventualities. We should invest in non-hybrid gardening

seeds and in the knowledge necessary to grow our own

food. We should do this in order to feed our families,

as well as others in need.
However, we cannot necessarily depend upon the weather to

help us either. We need to invest in our future by

procuring MRE's, canned and freeze dried foods ASAP. We

also need to know how to preserve and store food

ourselves.
In any given survival situation, there are two kinds of

people. One simply "can't deal with it", and dies. The

other refuses to "go quietly into the night." He takes

the actions required to face up to the challenges and

goes about the business of surviving. Which kind are

you? Let us not add to the panic which may lay ahead of

us by putting our head in the sand. Let us be among the

responsible ones who help alleviate the problem by

putting up food--for ourselves and for others!