The Green transition
In the Holocene (the time since the last ice age), the climate in the world has been exceptionally stable. During that period, man has had great success, we have populated almost every corner of the world and implemented an absolutely incredible technological development, and the proportion of poor and hungry people on earth has never been lower.
During this period, we have believed and hoped that there are no limits to growth. However it turns out that there are limits to growth. The Swedish researcher Johan Rockström published together with a number of researchers in 2009 the article "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity", in which they have defined nine planetary boundaries within which man must operate for a sustainable use of the Earth's environment and resources.
The group described nine planetary boundaries (See Figure 1):
- Climate
- Biodiversity
- Land use (deforestation)
- Consumption of fresh water
- Pollution of air with particles
- Degradation of the ozone layer
- Acidification of the sea
- Release of reactive nitrogen and phosphorus into the environment
- Man-made pollution
As can be seen from Figure 1, we have exceeded 4 of the 9 planetary boundaries (italian text). The production of food, feed, and fiber is a big part of the explanation for these exceedances. This is a big problem, as we expect the world's population to increase from the current almost DKK 8 billion. to approx. 10 billion by the year 2100. The need for food is expected to increase by at least 100%. The large increase in food consumption is expected to increase much more than population growth due to generally increasing prosperity and increasing meat consumption.
To meet the pressure on the Earth's resources, it will be necessary to change our diet, stop food waste, increase our agricultural production, and at the same time shift production from feed to food.
This reorganisation of food production will be a gigantic task and at the same time a huge opportunity for this department to contribute knowledge and smart solutions so that this reorganisation can take place organically and economically sustainable. Many of the department's employees are already working to create knowledge for this change, but there is a need for greater efforts in this field, e.g. to test and select crops, map optimal growing conditions, and develop knowledge of irrigation, nutrient requirements, crop rotation, GHG emissions, nutrient loss, and plant protection.
In front of us is a huge task, which will require that we collaborate with new professional environments, and that we approach the task with great enthusiasm and an open mind. This year, the government has prioritised research into the green transition and the department's researchers submitted many applications to the IFD round in June. We must hope that in the future the government is willing to allocate the necessary funds so that the green transition can take off.
Figure 1. Shows the 9 planetary boundaries, the colors indicate whether we are inside or outside the different planetary boundaries - Rockström J, et al. (2009): A Safe Operating Space for Humanity. Nature's Journal