David Pimentel - Food, energy, and society

Since the first edition of Food, Energy and Society was published in 1979, world energy supplies, especially fossil fuels, have dwindled as their use has soared. Supplies of the other major resources required for human life also have come under growing pressure. These include fertile land, fresh water, and biological diversity. Indeed, the very integrity of these environmental resources is threatened. For this reason, the scope of the second edition has been expanded to include discussions of land, water, energy and biological resources and their function in the food production system. This revised edition represents the cooperative efforts of many individuals and nations as they face the inevitable dilemma of how everyone can be fed, given the limits of land, water, energy, and biological resources. All of these resources support human life, and their availability will determine the quality of life for future generations.