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It might seem a bit of a jump - talking about "fracking" and
food production in the same article. However, when we look at
what's planned for the next phase of intensive agricultural
development, what we find is the same economic and political
theories at the root of the measures proposed.
As we approach the ecological limits to growth, and the measures
to maintain "business as usual" become even more extreme, the
latest technofix "solutions" to our needs have as much to do
with denying the existence of those limits, as they are intended
to provide more food or energy.
The problem with the debate over fracking is that it has become
highly insular. It focusses on drilling, or pollution; and fails
to make the wider connection to the issues of lifestyle and
resources which - arguably - represent the deeper motivation
behind the political support for extreme energy sources.
The same is true of the current debate over farming. We argue
about one form of agriculture or another, or different consumer
products; but without reference to the wider patterns of
lifestyle which predetermine the form of that discussion.
In contrasting fracking and food, I hope to highlight - through
the commonality in underlying causal factors - the wider
analysis which we need to bring to the ecological debate.