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Giants on a Shrinking Planet
Abstract:
This research paper discusses why almost half of our population has
insufficient global resources, primarily food, water, shelter and income,
along with possible solutions allocated to those in privation.
Tori Kelly
23 February 2011
Westwood College
College Writing II

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“The curse of poverty has no justification in our age…The time has come for us to civilize
ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty (King, 1967)”. Approximately
one fifth of the world lives in poverty (the inability to meet life necessities), earning less than one
US dollar a day (Misturelli & Heffernan, 2008). For simplicity, due to the limited scope of this
paper, the focus is on the causes of rather than the symptoms of poverty. Geographical
population, uneven distribution of resources, and Western overconsumption are direct causes,
and by analyzing each, mitigation of global poverty is possible.
As Western mass consumption displaces ecological costs onto the global majority, agro-
corporations are gaining record profits while the global poor endure exacerbating immiseration.
Though eradication of global poverty is one of the main priorities of the United Nations, as
global citizens, every individual’s commitment counts toward this mission (Palma-Solis, et al
2008). Shifting local population back to their fertile land by making it affordable promotes more
prosperity, and requires less family members to produce healthy crops. Redistribution of
existing resources rather than increasing aggregate production could diminish global destitution
(Taylor, 2009). Imposing a limit on Western consumption, leaving more available to the needy
at an affordable price, is a simple but far reaching solution. It would depend on the willingness
of the wealthy to resist monetary gain at the expense of the impoverished.

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Out of our current global population of 6.8 billion people, 925 million of us are starving or
malnourished, due to poverty (World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics, 2010). Almost
half of humanity is living on less than $2.50 a day (Shah, 2010, p. 1). The poorest 40 percent of
the world’s population makes 5 percent of the global income, while the richest 20 percent make
three quarters (Shah, 2010, p. 2).
Human population is significant in that it’s a matter of geography rather than demography.
The less populated West over consumes and wastes valuable resources, leaving less for the larger
populated areas of the world. (Whitty, 2010, p. 4). Where the population is smaller, resources
are plenty, and where population is denser resources are sparse.
Poverty accelerates population because poor families need more children to survive,
bringing 1 billion born into poverty out of 2.2 billion (Shah, 2010, p. 4). Farmers rely on family
labor for food production in developing countries (Whitty, 2010). The ambiguity is that they
can’t afford enough resources, causing many children to eventually die from starvation or illness
or both. It is not a matter of overpopulation; it is a matter of underdevelopment of viable means
of income, and fertile land for the indigenous population.
The expansion of export agriculture is the root cause for migration in the Third World
(Rosset, Gershman, Cunningham, & Borchardt, 1995). Farming is the primary source of income
in Third World countries, however the majority of the native population is driven to arid and
infertile land by the smaller population of wealthy, who can afford the plentiful and fertile
soil for export farming to the over consuming Western world. This pattern of a larger

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population living on infertile land while the smaller population occupies the nearby fertile land
has become a worldwide concern .
Reducing poverty is a global challenge; there are solutions. The Millennium Summit of
2000 set target goals to halve the number of people in poverty by 2015. Third World
governments need to protect local food production by controlling the cost of fertile land, making
it more affordable for the local farmer, thus moving them out of poverty. Tariff barriers would
cost the government nothing, yet they would help towards achieving this goal (Rosset,
Gershman, Cunningham, & Borchardt, 1995).
Government intervention that has controlled the affordability of food has helped economies
in China. In Sri Lanka, they crop half the amount of land that India does yet , Indians suffer
widespread and severe starvation while Chinese do not because effective government policies
kept food affordable. Cuba, which lead the Third World in life expectancy, low infant mortality
rates, and good nutrition until the recent collapse of relations with the ex-socialist block, is now
rampant with hunger. The common factor is that the better-off countries instituted land reform
and other policies aimed at improving rural livelihoods. Contributing to this success is land
reform, education for women and healthcare for all. Grassroots organizations have helped to
keep progressive governments with these policies in power (Rosset, Gershman, Cunningham, &
Borchardt, 1995). If these countries can succeed in solving the hunger crisis, then governments
can certainly apply these policies on a global scale.

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With such a vast majority of mankind deprived of necessary resources, most would
conclude that we simply don’t have enough. This is a myth. Global starvation is not due to lack
of food. We produce more than enough to feed the planet. However, the only people who get to
eat are the ones who can afford to. The average monthly cost to nutritiously feed a family of
four is approximately $850, plus or minus $100 depending on the age of the children (USDA,
2010) . Though the U.S. sends food, our imports contribute to driving local producers out of
business, creating hunger and unemployment (Rosset, Gershman, Cunningham, & Borchardt,
1995, p. 4). Much food is stored or destroyed when there is surplus as it is only the demands of
those with purchasing power that counts, keeping prices high enough for producers to maximize
profit (How We Could Feed The World, 2006).
400 million children (1 in 5) have no access to safe water, which takes the lives of 1.4
million annually (Shah, 2010, p. 4). These children are afflicted the most with deprivation. A lot
of the water in developing countries is allocated to crops, afflicting water consumption. Many
cities in the developing world lack ready access to water as it is unaffordable due to the great
cost of ensuring it is safe and clean (Savage, 2008, p. 2).
Of the 1.9 billion children in the developing world, 640 million have inadequate shelter
(Shah, 2010, p. 4). That is one in three homeless children. That is unacceptable. No one,
especially a child, should be homeless.
The reason the scale of global resources is so imbalanced is that the affluent are distributing
them for the sole purpose of profit, rather than concern for human privation. Despite food aid
organizations, it is only a temporary solution and can even drive people off the land as it drives
local food prices below the cost of production for local farmers. The unequal distribution of

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fertile land, mostly to wealthy farmers, explains why despite impressive food production, almost
half a million rural families remain hungry. The successful solution is agrarian reform which
gives the poor access to land with regular rainfall or irrigation. Redistribution of land can also
yield increased food production at lower costs due to peasant cropping systems that produce
more with fewer inputs than conventional methods. (Rosset, Gershman, Cunningham, &
Borchardt, 1995).
Land alone however will not make a farmer successful. With the global market also
affecting the Third World, peasants must also have access to credit, education, social services,
and new marketing channels, in order to compete fairly. The solutions to poverty, hunger,
migration, and environmental destruction are all interrelated. Managed integration into the world
economy and policies providing decent employment are also successful strategies (Rosset,
Gershman, Cunningham, & Borchardt, 1995).
Another recent development that would help Third World farmers is hydroponic farming.
This method involves growing plants with gravel, sand, or fibrous material instead of soil, using
a nutrient-rich solution which flows in timed intervals. This technique can feed a hundred times
the world’s current population with buildings a hundred stories high, on 1 percent of existing
farmland (How We Could Feed The World, 2006). The current economic growth is an
ineffective solution in the reduction of poverty. Even a modest redistribution of global resources
can make major progress in reducing poverty.

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One of the leading causes of poverty is not due to the lack of resources but rather the
overconsumption of those resources by the wealthy. The poorest 10 percent of our population
only consumes 0.5 percent, while the wealthiest 10 percent consume 59 percent of our resources.
(Shah, 2010, p. 6). If we don’t address this issue with vigor, it will consume all of us. The
planet becomes smaller as resources are consumed by the wealthy faster than they can be
replenished. They are like giants on a shrinking planet, hoarding and wasting resources with no
concern for the ’little people’.
We simply don’t want to discuss the real issue and solve the real problem: America is the
world’s largest consumer and produces the most environmental waste. For example, the world’s
richest half billion people (7% of the global population) make up 50% of carbon dioxide
emissions (pollution), while the poorest 50% make only 7% (Pearce, 2009). The US makes 5%
of the global population but we consume 30% of its resources (Robin). What a selfish nation we
live in.
A famous environmental scientist, Garret Hardin (1974), proposed his “lifeboat Ethics”
which stated that each rich nation is like a lifeboat full of rich people. In the ocean swim the poor
of the world wanting to get in but there was no space left and if they were brought on they would
all drown. The people in the lifeboat had a duty to their species to be selfish, to keep the poor
out. What was not mentioned was that each person in the lifeboat occupied ten spaces, whereas
the people in the ocean only wanted one space each (Pearce, 2009). It is a paradox that the poor
and needy only want a little piece of the pie that the rich could afford to give them so they can at
least be comfortable (and still live in luxury), but they don’t.

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One of the main priorities of the United Nations is to eradicate poverty. It represents a
structural barrier to development. In the year 2000 the target was to halve the number of people
in poverty by the year 2015 (Palma-Solis, Gil-Gonzalez, Alvarez-Dardet, & Ruiz-Cantero,
2008). This plan has already failed as poverty is increasing due to the priority of trade and
profits. Governments need to enforce policies that restrict consumption of the wealthy and
affordable costs for the poor. It is absolutely appalling that so many human beings live in such
deplorable conditions so that others can live in luxury.
We think money is a measurement of our worth, and that it will make us happy.
Statistically, overconsumption is accelerates the deterioration of society and actually decreases
our quality of life. 90% of divorce is due to money problems. 75% of Americans are torn
between the amount of time spent at work and wanting to spend more time with family. We need
to shift to low consumption and ask ourselves what really fulfills our quality of life; to shift from
“How much can I get?” to “How much is enough?” We need to determine “What do we need”
and “What are compulsive wants?”
It is a myth that more consumption makes a better economy. In order to have a healthier
economy we need to consume less and save more. Millions of Americans are reaping the
benefits of being debt-free and having more savings and financial security. They are realizing
that “standard of living” (what we have) is not the same as “quality of life” (how much we enjoy
living). Not having to work as many hours means more time with the family and leisure
activities. Having fewer possessions means more freedom from the burden and complexity they
bring into our lives (Robin). If we ask ourselves before each purchase; “Is it worth the hours I
had to work to buy it?” “Will it make me happy in the long run?” and “Will it help me reach my
life goal?” Not only will we be happier, the rest of the population can be also.

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Conclusion
The world population is not equally dividing its resources, causing poverty and starvation,
mostly in Third World countries. Over population is often to blame, but it is over consumption
by increased wealth that is the underlying cause of the shrinking supply. Consumption of these
resources is not intended to meet everyone’s needs, but rather to satisfy profit objectives. The
wealthiest population over consumes valuable resources, causing prices to rise to unattainable
levels for the poorest population, hence increasing poverty. We have more than enough global
resources, but we need to balance human consumption with human needs (Whitty, 2010, p. 18).
Another leading cause of poverty in the Third World is local farmers being driven from
their fertile land by the wealthy who purchase and then raise the price of their crops, making
food unaffordable for the indigenous population. Third World governments need to control the
price of fertile farming land in order to make it affordable to its local citizens. Redistributing this
land back to the original farmers allows them to return to their livelihood (Rosset, Gershman,
Cunningham, & Borchardt, 1995).
Poverty is a social injustice, prioritizing profit and wealth at the cost of human deprivation;
stealing from the poor to give to the rich. The responsibility falls on each and every one of us to
eradicate this unnecessary and deplorable condition.

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