Friday, August 15, 2008

The Hypoxic Green Revolution

Conservatives and Libertarians delight in extolling the virtues of Norman Borlaug, the so-called "father" of the green revolution and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. (See Ron Bailey, Virginia Postrel, Glenn Reynolds, etc.) And there is little doubt that Bourland and his agronomy methods have indeed feed millions who would have other wise starved.

So where are these luminaries now that we're seeing the downside of Bourlang's experiments? exponential growth in hypoxic (oxygen-starved) zones around the world? Not as glamorous or press-worthy.

The world is far more complex than we have ever thought, and, as Jackson Browne would say, nobody rides for free. I with environmentalism could somehow be divorced by politics, but I suppose that will never happen.

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