**1. Introduction**

278 Fossil Fuel and the Environment

Barnes, D., & Floor, W.M. (1996). Rural Energy in Developing Countries: A Challenge for Economic Development. Annual Review of Energy and Environment 21: 497–530. Cleveland C. J., Costanza, R., Hall, C. A. S. & Kaufmann, R. K. (1984). Energy and the U.S.

Dunkerley, J., Ramsay, W. Gordon, L. & Cecelski, E. (1981). Energy Strategies for

Faucheaux S., Levarlet F. (1999). Energy-economy-environment models. In: van den Bergh J

Hannon B. (1973). The structure of the ecosystem, Journal of Theoretical Biology 41: 535-546. Kamien M. I. & Schwartz, N. L. (1982). The role of common property resources in optimal

Nooji, M., Kruk, R. & Soest, D. P. (2003). International Comparisons of Domestic Energy

Ockwell, D.G. (2008). Energy and economic growth: grounding our understanding in

Panayotou, T. (1993). Empirical tests and policy analysis of environmental degradation at

Smulders S. (1999). Endogenous growth theory and the environment, in J. C. J. M. van den

Solow, R. (1956). A contribution to the theory of economic growth. The Quarterly Journal of

Stern D. I. (1997). Limits to substitution and irreversibility in production and consumption: a

Stern D. I. (1999). Is energy cost an accurate indicator of natural resource quality? Ecological

Stern, D.I. & Cleveland, C.J. (2004). Energy and Economic Growth. Rensselaer Working Paper in Economics, no. 0410. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Toman M. A., Pezzey, J. & Krautkraemer. J. (1994). Neoclassical economic growth theory

Toman, M. & Jemelkova, B. (2003). Energy and Economic Development: An assessment of

UNDP, UNDESA, WEC, (2000a). World Energy Assessment. United Nations Development

Stern, D. (2004). Economic Growth and Energy, Encyclopaedia of Energy, vol. 2.

different stages of economic development", World Employment Programme

Bergh (ed.), Handbook of Environmental and Resource Economics, Edward

neoclassical interpretation of ecological economics, Ecological Economics, 21: 197-215.

and sustainability, in D. Bromley (ed.), Handbook of Environmental Economics ,

the state of knowledge, Volumes 3-13 of Discussion paper, Resources for the

Programme, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World

C J M (eds) Handbook of environmental and resource economics. Edward Elgar,

planning models with exhaustible resources, in V. K. Smith and J. V. Krutilla (eds.), Explorations in Natural Resource Economics, Johns Hopkins University

Developing Countries. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future.

economy: A biophysical perspective, Science 225: 890-897.

Nakicenovic, N. (1996). Freeing Energy from Carbon. Daedalus 125(3): 95–112.

Consumption, Energy Economics, 25, PP 259-373.

physical reality, Energy Policy 36(12): 4600-4604.

Research Working Paper WEP2- 22/WP 238

Elgar,Cheltenham, 89-108.

Economics 70, 65–94.

Economics 31: 381-394.

Blackwell, Oxford.

Energy Council, New York.

Future.

Cheltenham: 123-1145

Press,Baltimore.

The ongoing growth of global population, projected at about 9 billion by mid-century, has prompted increasing attention to the challenge of adequate nutrition. Food production outpaced population growth during the late 20th century, owing to increases in land devoted to food production, large increases in fertilizer use and irrigation, and notably the introduction of high yielding strains of major grain crops. Even so, roughly 1 billion people, primarily in developing countries, remain undernourished, while comparable numbers, mostly in rich nations, have become obese.

Fossil fuels play critical roles in the contemporary global food system, yet potential limitations in fossil fuel supplies receive scant attention in current discussions of food security. This chapter reviews elements of food security that depend on fossil fuels, highlights the potential instability of fossil fuel supplies, and considers the corresponding impact on food security over the coming decades as the human population increases.

The narrative proceeds as follows. Many authorities acknowledge food security as a global challenge for the coming decades (Section 2). These narratives highlight the enormous success of the Green Revolution in expanding food supplies in the late 20th century, but underplay the reliance of this success on the widespread availabilty of inexpensive fossil fuels (Section 3). Climate change, which is driven primarily by fossil fuel burning and by deforestation to expand agricultural lands, increases the food security challenge (Section 4). Finite supplies and increasingly difficult access to fossil fuel resources already have impacted fuel and food prices; their impact is virtually certain to grow in the coming four decades that form the primary focus of food security discussions (Section 5). Sustainable agricultural methods, particularly including reduced dependence on fossil fuels, are essential to meet growing human nutritional needs in a stable way, and sustainability in the food system also requires attention to other dimensions of food security (Section 6). Increasing fossil fuel costs will prompt evolutionary changes in the movement of food from farm to fork in different parts of the world (Section 7). Addressing the food security challenge in the face of fossil fuel scarcity is a critical element in the transition to a sustainable human economy based on renewable energy resources (Section 8).
