Must Eat Less Meat' Page 1 of 3

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Hungry world 'must eat less meat' Page 1 of 3

Home TV Radio Talk W here I Live A-Z Index

Low Graphics version | Change edition About BBC News | Feedback | Help

News Front Page Last Updated: Monday, 16 August, 2004, 16:45 GMT 17:45 UK W orld E-mail this to a friend Printable version UK Hungry world 'must eat less meat' England By Alex Kirby SEE ALSO: BBC News Online environment correspondent Northern Ireland Better diet 'would save millions' 17 Jun 04 | Health Scotland W orld water supplies will not be enough for our World population growth 'falling' W ales 23 Mar 04 | Americas descendants to enjoy the Business Thirsty Africa faces food crisis sort of diet the W est eats Politics 02 Nov 03 | Science/Nature now, experts say. Health UN warns of future water crisis 05 Mar 03 | Science/Nature Education The World Water Week in Science/Nature Stockholm will be told the RELATED BBC LINKS: Technology growth in demand for meat The Water Debate Entertainment and dairy products is Livestock needs a lot of water World Water Crisis ------unsustainable. RELATED INTERNET LINKS: Have Your Say Stockholm International Water Magazine Animals need much more water than grain to produce the Institute In Pictures same amount of food, and ending malnutrition and feeding United Nations Population Fund Week at a Glance even more mouths will take still more water. The BBC is not responsible for the Country Profiles content of external internet sites

In Depth Scientists say the world will have to change its consumption TOP SCIENCE/NATURE STORIES Programmes patterns to have any realistic hope of feeding itself. NOW North Korea's environment crisis Why we enjoy telling people off Losing the race Sunflower oil boost to car future Earth warned on 'tipping points' The World Water Week conference is held annually in the Swedish capital, and is organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, Siwi. This year's runs from 15 to 21 August.

Siwi says: "With about 840 It's going to be almost million people undernourished impossible to feed future or lacking a secure food generations the kind of diet supply today, and another we have now in western two billion or more people... Europe and North America by 2025, feeding the world's growing population - and Anders Berntell, Stockholm International Water Institute finding the water to grow the food - continues to be a basic and sizeable challenge."

A paper to be delivered during the conference, entitled Water: More Nutrition Per Drop, says: "For several decades, the increase in food production has outpaced population growth. Now much of the world is simply running out of water for more production... "

The World Health Organisation calls malnutrition "the silent emergency", and says it is a factor in at least half the 10.4 million child deaths which occur every year.

Anders Berntell, Siwi's executive director, told BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3559542.stm 8/27/2004 BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Hungry world 'must eat less meat' Page 2 of 3 News Online: "The basic problem is that food is the main global consumer of water, with irrigation taking 70% or more of all the water we use, apart from huge volumes of rainwater.

"The bottom line is that we've got to do something to reduce Grain goes far to feed the world the amount of water we devote to growing food today.

Upturn in demand

"Animals fed on grain, and also those which rely on grazing, need far more water than grain crops.

"But in the developed world, W ATER AND FOOD and in parts of some A kilogram of grain-fed beef developing countries, needs at least 15 cubic metres consumers are demanding of water more meat. A kilo of lamb from a sheep fed on grass needs 10 cubic metres A kilo of cereals needs from 0.4 "Of course people should have to 3 cubic metres healthier diets and a higher intake of nutrients: we don't want to stop that.

Slow to dawn

"But it's going to be almost impossible to feed future generations the kind of diet we have now in western Europe and North America.

"Most of us don't appreciate, either politically or personally, the challenge of finding enough water to grow enough food, though in some countries it's a problem of everyday living.

"I think the world's future water supply is a problem Meat is a treat for the rich that's an entire order of magnitude greater than we've begun to realise."

Mr Berntell said the rich would be able to buy their way out of trouble by importing "virtual water" - the water needed to grow the food they bought from abroad.

He said: "The transport of virtual water is huge. Australians were astonished to find that although their country is short of water, they're net exporters of water in the form of meat."

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

LINKS TO MORE SCIENCE/NATURE STORIES http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3559542.stm 8/27/2004 BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Hungry world 'must eat less meat' Page 3 of 3

Select

News alerts | E-mail services | Desktop ticker | Mobiles/PDAs | Headlines for your site

BBC Homepage >> | BBC Sport >> | BBC Weather >> | BBC World Service >>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3559542.stm 8/27/2004