If it
proves economically non-viable to grow tropical produce indoors,
perhaps the way we transport the produce from the tropical countries
still needs an overhaul. I happen to think that if all the countries
that would be involved built a cargo-first railway system that was based
on mag-lev technology, it would allow for quick and efficient transport
of goods.
As far as island countries' hookup to the network would go, perhaps they would still need to use boats - but what's wrong with submarines, then? Subs can be nuclear powered, and I like the idea of low-radiation thorium reactors.
As far as introducing a VAT to everything we buy is concerned, though, my logic for introducing it went like this:
If we have a sustainable (and consistent) source of energy, the price of production, once set, is unlikely to rise. If the geothermal energy we can get from the ground beneath our feet powers not only the grow lamps, but the transport system that gets it to market, there should be a cost savings there, because the energy does not have to be carried to market in oil tankers, pipelines, or other vehicles, etc. This is the disadvantage I see with oil-based transport. When the price of oil goes up, so does EVERYTHING else. Eventually it will get to the point where growing in underground greenhouses will be cheaper than shipping from tropical countries.
If we have low costs from farm-to-fork, perhaps we CAN get bananas below 49 cents a pound - and then adding a 9% GST would not impact us so harshly.
--
As far as GMO is concerned, I'm on board with it, as much as it scares other people. I do have caveats, though.
I think that genetically engineered foods that are resistant to infection are a good idea, but I don't think that one monopolistic company (Monsanto) should be able to secure the rights for these on an indefinite basis. Give them a certain number of years, and let it then become public domain, just like digital music and movies. They can still make their ridiculous profits, but not in perpetuity.
I, for one, think lab-grown meat would be a great idea, as it would free up millions of acres of farmland used by livestock. I think I read somewhere that human cities take up 3% of the land on the planet, but our farms take up a further 40%. Reducing this by a factor of 100 would surely have a beneficial impact. And as far as the concentration of waste that would result?
Well, by keeping the farms enclosed, we could hopefully not have to use pesticides or herbicides at all, unless they were natural, like aphids. So the wastewater produced would then not be toxic, and could actually be fed back into the system in a more or less closed loop.
As far as island countries' hookup to the network would go, perhaps they would still need to use boats - but what's wrong with submarines, then? Subs can be nuclear powered, and I like the idea of low-radiation thorium reactors.
As far as introducing a VAT to everything we buy is concerned, though, my logic for introducing it went like this:
If we have a sustainable (and consistent) source of energy, the price of production, once set, is unlikely to rise. If the geothermal energy we can get from the ground beneath our feet powers not only the grow lamps, but the transport system that gets it to market, there should be a cost savings there, because the energy does not have to be carried to market in oil tankers, pipelines, or other vehicles, etc. This is the disadvantage I see with oil-based transport. When the price of oil goes up, so does EVERYTHING else. Eventually it will get to the point where growing in underground greenhouses will be cheaper than shipping from tropical countries.
If we have low costs from farm-to-fork, perhaps we CAN get bananas below 49 cents a pound - and then adding a 9% GST would not impact us so harshly.
--
As far as GMO is concerned, I'm on board with it, as much as it scares other people. I do have caveats, though.
I think that genetically engineered foods that are resistant to infection are a good idea, but I don't think that one monopolistic company (Monsanto) should be able to secure the rights for these on an indefinite basis. Give them a certain number of years, and let it then become public domain, just like digital music and movies. They can still make their ridiculous profits, but not in perpetuity.
I, for one, think lab-grown meat would be a great idea, as it would free up millions of acres of farmland used by livestock. I think I read somewhere that human cities take up 3% of the land on the planet, but our farms take up a further 40%. Reducing this by a factor of 100 would surely have a beneficial impact. And as far as the concentration of waste that would result?
Well, by keeping the farms enclosed, we could hopefully not have to use pesticides or herbicides at all, unless they were natural, like aphids. So the wastewater produced would then not be toxic, and could actually be fed back into the system in a more or less closed loop.
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