When you go to the grocery store, do you know where your vegetables come from? It used to be that once upon a time, we used to know what vegetables were in season, when you could get what at the grocery, and perhaps more importantly, what you could not get. Today, thanks to our super-effective global procurement and logistics network, you no-longer need to know. You can basically get anything you want, any time of the year - which is great in some ways - hey, sometimes you just want a strawberry - but it’s not exactly helpful to our global warming.
As they discuss in today’s New York Times the issue of how we all get our food is becoming increasingly important as concern over global warming and consumer demands both increase. 90% of produce in the UK, for instance, is imported. But what can be done about it?
One solution the article discusses is taxing imports - something that might work, except for the fact that, as some grocers argue, it might advantage vegetables grown closer, but which take alot more power to grow. Another solution is educating consumers about the environmental impact of imported vegetables and other goods. Good luck with that. Many people at my work can’t even bother to distinguish between the garbage and recycling bins when one is a totally different color and is readily available.
I happen to think that the only solution to this problem is make sure the costs of carbon pollution is built in to the costs of the energy that we all use. Instead of taxing vegetables or imports, we should tax the carbon content of energy. That way, the price will percolate into everything we do - whether it is hydroponic tomatoes, or whether it’s shipping kiwis from Italy. And maybe we’ll reacquaint ourselves with the natural cycles of the foods we eat.
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