When my mother said, “Eat all the food on your plate, people in India are starving,” the simple phrase had many meanings. She was teaching me to be grateful for my food, to be aware that other children are starving, that food cannot be taken for granted and should not be wasted. When I traveled to third-world countries in my teens, I saw the truth of her words firsthand.
There is a disconnect between my table laden with fine homemade foods and the increasing blight of hunger around the world. So, without going too far, I will share with you, my readers, a perspective on food not usually contemplated by people who live in our beautiful, abundant country of red, white, and blue.
Food insecurity due to climate change is a reality we can no longer escape. America is included in the countries where people are starving. Anyone can be only seasons or miles away from a drought or famine.
In regions around the world, agricultural growth has been compromised by either soaring temperatures or flooding. Farmers are unable to grow the foods that have been indigenous for centuries. Bangladesh, a country bordering India, is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, salinity intrusion, cyclones, drought, and flooding. In 2017 hundreds of thousands of acres of coastal farmland were ruined by brackish water, with devastating effects on long-term food security. Last year ten million climate refugees fled the country of 163 million.
Anyone who thinks similar events can’t happen in America might reflect on the recent floods in Dallas and Florida. The city of Montecito, California—one of the wealthiest communities in the world—was devastated first by fire and then by floods in January 2018. Dozens of residents were killed in mudslides that destroyed over 100 homes; others were forced to evacuate and stay in designated shelters, becoming what I call “American climate refugees” of the most elite order. Changes in California’s precipitation patterns are expected to lead to more drought, flooding, and water shortages. Since the state grows much food for the rest of the country, declining crop output could exacerbate food insecurity across the nation.
The pollution of the oceans also affects our food supply. According to some reports, the oceans may have more plastic than fish; the fish are eating the plastic and we are eating those fish. This cannot be healthy for us. How sad it was when we saw the YouTube video of the now-famous tortoise found in the ocean with a plastic straw stuck in its nose!
The time has come to ask: If indeed climate change is causing a shortage of food, water, and housing, how will it affect each one of us? There will be widespread job shortages. Certain areas on the planet will become uninhabitable. There will be migration by the millions to places offering hope and food. Let’s imagine a step further: These shortages can ignite riots, burglaries, and other violent acts, compounding the political, economic, and cultural issues of mass migration.
It is hard to imagine living in places that have become so hot that they border on uninhabitable, as we sit in our living rooms with our air conditioners on. It is hard to contemplate hunger when we are surrounded by food everywhere we go—grocery stores, movie theaters, shopping malls, friends’ homes, restaurants. Many of us live in beautiful neighborhoods untouched by Mother Nature’s wrath for our entire lives.
Recalling my mother’s words, I ask myself, is there a way to reduce the pollution contributing to climate change in some small way? One expert advised me to be as self-sustaining as possible by eating locally grown foods. If food is not locally grown, it must be transported from other areas and countries, and the emission of oil and gas during air or ground transport causes even more pollution. For those who have homes with yards, it may be time to think about planting trees. This will save the time spent grocery shopping, and your organically grown produce will be more delicious because it has not been sprayed with pesticides. It is better to grow trees than to cultivate a large plot of grass that requires mowing with a gas-polluting machine. The trees will offer you the fruits of your labor, and you will be doing your part to contribute to the environment as well as to your health.
Namaste,
Sherry Plum
And now, four delicious recipes in honor of Bangladesh. I have tweaked the traditional recipes to include only the cleanest and healthiest ingredients:
