[earthtolazlo]

Just about every model shows significant increases in drought and desertification across most of the world's currently arable land with more than a couple of degrees of warming, which is the path we're currently on. Couple that with the fact that most land at far northern latitudes does not have the soil quality necessary to support large-scale agriculture, and we're looking at global famines that billions of people are unlikely to survive.

[stcredzero]

we're looking at global famines that billions of people are unlikely to survive

If I were part of a shadowy oligarchic cabal running the world, I'd be willing to trade-in worldwide chaos for the 21st century equivalent of a Hydraulic empire, where technologically enabled food production replaces irrigation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_empire

Conspiracy trash aside, if there are billions to be made helping the world avoid yet another Malthusian disaster, someone will make it.

[eli_gottlieb]

>Conspiracy trash aside, if there are billions to be made helping the world avoid yet another Malthusian disaster, someone will make it.

Who made their millions off the Irish potato famine, other than the British businesspeople who caused the famine by making Irish food unaffordable to the Irish?

[fleitz]

That's a huge simplification of the famine. The root causes of the famine are generally attributable to rental law in Ireland and the disincentives it created towards farmers investing in land and/or farms scaled to the right size for economies of scale.

[stcredzero]

Well there, you said it yourself. There were tariffs causing a market distortion at play. People were already making money off of that, and acted to protect it. That's not the only Malthusian disaster the world has faced.