Lesson of 2007: Don’t take our way of life for granted

2007 reminded us that our easy way of life comes at a price, and that there are consequences and trade-offs in almost everything we do. Let’s go down the list.

…Food is not cheap

Farm prices soared. For 40 years, Americans had become used to the idea that their food would stay cheap, and that farmers were invisible or irrelevant. Now we are learning that farmland and irrigation water are finite resources, while world population continues to rise. Before we can solve global warming, convert to ethanol fuels or restore ancestral rivers, we first have to eat — and thus make sure there is enough land and water to produce food.

Oil

Oil reached $98 a barrel by November. Conservatives thought that the market alone might easily correct the problem. Yet they are starting to see in the meantime that petrol-rich, anti-American dictatorships, flush with American cash, won’t be so patient with us.

Chicago Tribune