Would someone please explain to me how -- economically or environmentally -- this makes any sense:
The New York Times reports that "cod caught off Norway is shipped to China to be turned into filets, then shipped back to Norway for sale. Argentine lemons fill supermarket shelves on the Citrus Coast of Spain, as local lemons rot on the ground. Half of Europe’s peas are grown and packaged in Kenya."
The article goes on to cite example after example of how food gets moved around the world as the result of cheap transportation costs.
Sure, I like kiwi and Icelandic cod. But I could live with less of it, or without it to save fuel.
Thanks to Vermont Commons for bringing this to my attention.
1 comment:
It only makes sense economically when transportation fuel is cheap and there is cheap labor to exploit somewhere in the world. There are cracks appearing in the foundation of this economic practice.
Check out this BBC news story about the end of cheap clothing:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7362343.stm
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