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Energy use and the sustainability of intensifying food production

Nature Sustainability volume 3, pages 257–259 (2020)Cite this article

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Energy fuels, and is central to, all physical and biological systems, including the human population and economy. Yet science has missed the significance of civilization’s growing energy consumption. The energetics of the global food system illustrate the counterintuitive aspects of present energy consumption circumstances.

One reason we fail to comprehend the gravity of these circumstances is that few really understand the fundamental concept of energy. Most of energy science focuses on energy quality, quantity and source. But all energy used as intended, causes change, thereby altering materials and changing the environment. Metaphorically, it is not only the origin, quantity or quality of the gas in your tank, it is what you are doing to the environment with your truck. Thus, for example, it only partially matters if this forcing function is from renewable or non-renewable fuels. We are detonating a large amount of energy in a closed system and causing dramatic environmental change and no mechanical or environmental system can indefinitely withstand an exponentially rising forcing function.

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Fig. 1: Global primary energy consumption and food production by human society.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. A. S. Hall for his insightful guidance during the development of this Comment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    John R. Schramski & C. Brock Woodson

  2. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    James H. Brown

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  1. John R. Schramski
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  2. C. Brock Woodson
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  3. James H. Brown
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Correspondence to John R. Schramski.

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Schramski, J.R., Woodson, C.B. & Brown, J.H. Energy use and the sustainability of intensifying food production. Nat Sustain 3, 257–259 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0503-z

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