Overheard some idiots at my work talking about “overpopulation”, and got me thinking about the subject. My default response to that dumb talking point is “we have enough food to feed everyone in the world and then some, it’s just the fucked up system of distribution (i.e. capitalism) that is to blame”, but I realised I’ve never actually seen any detailed information to back that up. I know that the USA throws away FIFTY PERCENT of its food, Australia throws away a third. But is that amount of food waste enough to feed the world?
It would be good to have some sources to refer people to when they make those shitty arguments.
Famine is an interesting topic. Basically, there's no reason famines have to happen, and it's been like that since the 19th century. Politics and (occasionally) infrastructure are the only real reasons why they happen. Could the Allies have shipped food to offset the Bengal famine? Of course. The Potato Famine? Easily avoided. The "starving Ethiopians" of the 80s? If the political will had been there, grain could have been delivered.
As an aside, for all comrades, if you can, compost. Composting is easy (the EPA has a good guide) and can be done almost anywhere. You can donate or use it in urban gardening if you're an apartment dweller, use it for window boxes, etc., to grow your own food. Does it solve food waste? Obviously not. But it helps give you a bit of food independence, and can lead to a healthier diet. Pro tip: don't bother trying to compost any meat unless you've got LARGE compost piles. Around where I am, I know people who compost small animal roadkill, but they have multiple 3-4 feet high piles.