Eating for Eternity{ Aquaponics, Sustainability and the future of food autonomy}Aquaponics, Sustainability and the Future of Food Autonomy

“It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

- J. Krishnamurti

An Inconvenient Truth

Humans are “eating away at our own life support systems” at a rate unseen in the past 10,000 years by degrading land and freshwater systems, emitting greenhouse gases and releasing vast amounts of agricultural chemicals into the environment, new research has found.Two major new studies by an international team of researchers have pinpointed the key factors that ensure a livable planet for humans, with stark results.

Of nine Of nine worldwide processes that underpin life on Earth, four have exceeded “safe” levels – human-driven climate change, loss of biospherte integrity, land system change and the high level of phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into the oceans due to fertiliser use.Researchers spent five years identifying these core components of a planet suitable for human life, using the long-term average state of each measure to provide a baseline for the analysis.ThThey found that the changes of the last 60 years are unprecedented in the previous 10,000 years, a period in which the world has had a relatively stable climate and human civilisation has advanced significantly.

Carbon dioxide levels, at 395.5 parts per million, are at historic highs, while loss of biosphere integrity is resulting in species becoming extinct at a rate more than 100 times faster than the previous norm.

Since 1950 urban populations have increased seven-fold, primary energy use has soared by a factor of five, while the amount of fertiliser used is now eight times higher. The amount of nitrogen entering the oceans has quadrupled.All of these changes are shifting Earth into a “new state” that is becoming less hospitable to human life, researchers said.

“These indic“These indicators have shot up since 1950 and there are no signs they are slowing down,” said Prof Will Steffen of the Australian National University and the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Steffen is the lead author on both of the studies.

““When economic systems went into overdrive, there was a massive increase in resource use and pollution. It used to be confined to local and regional areas but we’re now seeing this occurring on a global scale. These changes are down to human activity, not natural variability.”

Steffen said direct human influence upon the land was contributing to a loss in pollination and a disruption in the provision of nutrients and fresh water.

““We are clearing land, we are degrading land, we introduce feral animals and take the top predators out, we change the marine ecosystem by overfishing – it’s a death by a thousand cuts,” he said. “That direct impact upon the land is the most important factor right now, even more than climate change.”

TheThere are large variations in conditions around the world, according to the research. For example, land clearing is now concentrated in tropical areas, such as Indonesia and the Amazon, with the practice reversed in parts of Europe. But the overall picture is one of deterioration at a rapid rate.“It’s fairly safe to say that we haven’t seen conditions in the past similar to ones we see today and there is strong evidence that there [are] tipping points we don’t want to cross,” Steffen said.

“If the Ea“If the Earth is going to move to a warmer state, 5-6 degrees celcius warmer, with no ice caps, it will do so and that won’t be good for large mammals like us. People say the world is robust and that’s true, there will be life on Earth, but the Earth won’t be robust for us.”

“Some people s“Some people say we can adapt due to technology, but that’s a belief system, it’s not based on fact. There is no convincing evidence that a large mammal, with a core body temperature of 37C, will be able to evolve that quickly. Insects can, but humans can’t and that’s a problem.”

Steffen said the research showed the economic system was “fundamentally flawed” as it ignored critically important life support systems.

“It’s clear the economic s“It’s clear the economic system is driving us towards an unsustainable future and people of my daughter’s generation will find it increasingly hard to survive,” he said. “History has shown that civilisations have risen, stuck to their core values and then collapsed because they didn’t change. That’s where we are today.”

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to

play with your hair.“–Kahlil Gibran

The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.

“Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal.”- Interg- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years.Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. Studying these climate data collected over many years reveal the signals of a changing climate.

The heThe heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th century. Their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere is the scientific basis of many instruments flown by NASA. There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response.

Ice coIce cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. They also show that in the past, large changes in climate have happened very quickly, geologically-speaking: in tens of years, not in millions or even thousands.

How do we know climate change is real?

How does climate change effect us?

The primary impact: Earth's water systems thrown off balance

Emissions of heat-trapping gases from human activity—especially the burning of fossil fuels for energy—cause our atmosphere to heat up.This atmospheric heating unleashes a torrent of rapid changes to the way water systems typically function on our planet.

The increased evaporation of water is like fuel for storms, exacerbating extreme weather events, such as hurricanes.

Rising sea levels make coastal flooding events worse. In more naturally arid

areas, droughts and wildfires intensify.

Weather of all kinds is getting more extreme.

A warmer atmosphere causes the planet's snow A warmer atmosphere causes the planet's snow pack, glaciers and sea and freshwater ice to melt at an accelerated pace. Melting glaciers and polar ice sheets contribute to sea level rise. As the ice melts, it also exposes more dark ocean waters, which absorbs more sunlight than ice, and thus heats the ocean more, triggering a cycle of melting and heating.and heating.

The cryosphere (the frozen water on Earth)is melting.

The oceans are getting hotter, because they The oceans are getting hotter, because they soak up 90% of the extra heat in the atmosphere. This causes the oceans to expand, and this also contributes to higher sea levels. Meanwhile, the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the ocean triggers a chemistry change that makes the water more acidic. The ocean is almost 40% more acidic than it used to ocean is almost 40% more acidic than it used to be.

The oceans are getting hotter, expanding, and becoming more acidic:

As climatic patterns rapidly shift, habitats on land and in the sea are changing, making them inhospitable for some species, while letting others move in and take over. In some cases, entire ecosystems are at risk of collapsing.

The changes to the natural world are vast, but here are three notable and well-documented examples.

As sea ice disappears, ice-dependent mammals like walruses and polar bears struggle to survive. In 2008, the polar bear became the first animal to be added to the Endangered Species Act list of threatened species because of global warming.

Our Arctic creatures need ice, but it's vanishing.

Milder winters and longer summers allow tree-killing insects to thrive. Meanwhile, trees weakened by prolonged drought have lower

defense mechanisms. This cycle of warmer weather, weak trees and thriving insects is likely the culprit

behind the massive die-off of 70,000 square miles of Rocky Mountain conifers.

Forests are more prone to deadly infestations.

Coral reefs are highly sensitive to small changes in ocean temperatures. The heat stresses the algae that nourish the corals and provide their vibrant colors. The algae then leave, and the corals eventually starve, an event known as bleaching. Also, a more acidic ocean affects the normal calcium balance, meaning creatures with calcified shells, such as shellfish and coral, may not have enough calcium to grow.

Coral and shellfish are suffering

A warmer atmosphere increases chemical reactions that form ground-level ozone, also known as smog. Smog is a well-known lung irritant and a major trigger of asthma attacks. Smoke from wildfires

further degrade the air. Extreme summer heat will mean more deaths during heat waves, and warmer freshwater makes it easier for

pathogens to grow and contaminate drinking water.

Warmer, polluted air affects our health.

The toll that climate change takes on agriculture is nearly incalcuable, and as a result, our food security is at risk. All over the world, farmers are struggling to keep up with shifting weather and increasingly unpredictable water supplies. Farmers also must contend with unexpected attacks from weeds, diseases and pests, which affect yield.

Climate change is a major threat to agriculture

A less convenient truth

CarbonDioxide

Methane NitrousOxide

Chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows are collectively the largest producer of

methane in the U.S.

If 1 person exchanges a regular car for a hybrid, they’ll reduce carbon dioxide

emissions by 1 ton.

20x

1 calorie from animal protein requires 11 times as much fossil fuel as on calorie of plant protein

The diets of meat eaters create 7x the

greenhouse emissions as the diets of vegans

11x

7x

Methane is 20x more powerful at trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere than

carbon dioxide.

Nitrous Oxide is 300x more powerful at trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

300x

If 1 person exchanges eating meat for a vegan diet, they’ll

reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 tons

per year

Three primary gasses are responsible for Global Warming

The meat, egg, and dairy industries produce 65% of worldwide nitrous oxide emissions

If every American dropped one serving of chicken per week from their diet, it would save the same amount of CO2 emissions as taking 500,000 cars off of the roadoff of the road

This Land is Our Land

More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to grow grain to feed farmed animals.

Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours.

Livestock Grazing and Deforestation is the number one cause of plant species becoming threatened or going extinct globally

70% of grain and cereals grown in the U.S. are fed to farmed animals. It takes 16 lbs. of grain to produce 1 lb of meat

70%

The Equivalent of 7 football fields of land are bulldozed

every minute to create more room for farmed

animals

Raising animals for food uses 30% of the earth’s land mass.That’s 17 million sq miles roughly the same size as Asia!

The moon has less area than that, at 14.6 million sq miles.

Nearly half of all water used in the united states goes to raising animals for

food

50%50%

2400gallons

=1 lb. of Beef

it takes 2400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef

it takes 25 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of wheat

vs.25gallons

=1 lb.

of Wheat

You’d save more water by not eating one pound of meat than you would by not taking showers for 6 months

A vegan diet requires300 gallons of water per day vs. meat eating diet which requires 4000 gallons per day

Animals raised for food create 89,000 lbs. of excrement per second, none that benefit from the same treatment has human’s.

Chicken, Hog and Cattle excrement has polluted 35,000

miles of rivers in 22 states

A Thirsty Industry

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” - N- Native American Proverb

+

Fish waste

becomes nitrates Plants are

fertilized

Plants filter

the water

Fish get

fresh water

Aquaponics is a term derived from the conversion of two systems Hydroponics (Growing vegetation without soil) and Aquaculture (fostering and growing fish) to create a symbiotic association where each organism benefits and flourishes with the counterpart.

Aquaponics sAquaponics systems use fish farms alongside vegetables where fish waste is repurposed as nutrients for plants and the plants, in turn filter and clean the water to be placed back in the fish tank.

How does aquaponics work?

Aquaponics mimics every natural waterway on earth. It is used to grow food crops in a concentrated, yet sustainable manner.

The main input to an aquaponic sThe main input to an aquaponic system is fish food. The fish eat the food and excrete waste. More than 50% of the waste produced by fish is in the form of ammonia secreted in the urine and, in small quantities, through the gills. The remainder of the waste, excreted as fecal matter, undergoes a process called mineralization which occurs when heterotrophic bacteria consume fish waste, decaying plant matter and un-eaten food, converting all three to ammonia and other compounds. ammonia and other compounds. In sufficient quantities ammonia is toxic to plants and fish. Nitrifying bacteria, which naturally live in the soil, water and air, convert ammonia first to nitrite and then to nitrate which plants consume. In an aquaponic system the heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria will attach to the tank walls, underside of the rafts, organic matter, the growing medium (if used) and in the water column. The beneficial bacteria discussed here are natural and will inhinhabit an aquaponic system as soon as ammonia and nitrite are present.

Essentially, you have three crops to keep alive in aquaponcis - the fish, the plants and the beneficial bacteria. These three living entities each rely on the other to live. The bacteria consume the fish waste keeping the water clean for the fish. In the process, the bacteria provide the plants with a usable form of nutrients. In removing these nutrients through plant growth, the plants help to clean the water the fish live in.Aquaponics is a Aquaponics is a very efficient method of growing food that uses a minimum of water and space and utilizes waste, resulting in an end product of organic, healthful fish and vegetables. From a nutritional standpoint, aquaponics provides food in the form of both protein (from the fish) and vegetables.

“The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost invariably he comes to the conclusion thatthat the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And if he is not romantic personally, he is apt to spread discontent among those who

aare. ”

-  HL Mencken

How does aquaponics help solveenvironmental problems?

It is a green process in that, no plowing or disturbing of soil that can lead to erosion is necessary for this completely soil free farming system.

Outdoor pests cannot harm the produce.

Crops are grown with no herbicides or pesticides

Low energy inputs which can be achieved through renewables.

You can plant around 4 times the amount crops in

the same space as traditional crop farming

Plants grow more rapidly, have bigger yields, and can be grown year round.

Weeds cannot grow.

No nitrous oxide, methane, or carbon dioxide emitted

The process is carbon positive.

Crops can be grown with up to 95% less water than traditional farming