Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism?

[Tim Gier]

Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists
Water scarcity's effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9bn by 2050

As reported in The Guardian

Leading water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global food supplies, saying that the world's population may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.

Humans derive about 20% of their protein from animal-based products now, but this may need to drop to just 5% to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to be alive by 2050, according to research by some of the world's leading water scientists.

"There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations," the report by Malik Falkenmark and colleagues at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said.

"There will be just enough water if the proportion of animal-based foods is limited to 5% of total calories and considerable regional water deficits can be met by a … reliable system of food trade."

Read more here....

[Billy L]

This is what you were getting at with the abolition/slavery/animal rights analogies a while back I think, in this example food shortages would be the major force for new direction, as opposed to individual/collective morality - if I'm following...

[Carolyn Bailey]

I absolutely agree with this. I have thought for some time now that we will be left with no choice but to almost completely eliminate the use of other animals as food within the next 50 years for the reasons mentioned here, and more. 

It's simply not possible to continue on the path we're on now, particularly with countries such as Indonesia, India and China becoming such enormous consumers of other animals and their secretions.