Perhaps you have realized that our world is suffering from the presence of humanity´s way of life. One thing we didn´t talked about in class was the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry.

Have you heard its use is to produce cheap food? Anyone that has heard about that in many countries much of the same antibiotics used for human health care is also used for animals in commercial agriculture? Do you know that organisms here on earth are trying to adapt to substances such as poison and other active substances hindering their life? Do you know the consequence is resistance?

I can tell you that the same thing goes for bacterial exposure to antibiotics as well. Perhaps we can skip the whole biochemical class right now concerning the factors that explain the buildup of resistance in organisms, as within us, about say plasmids in the bacteria.

I you wonder about what most of the antibiotics contribute with for the production it´s not in a global scope to keep the animals healthy in a clinical sense. It´s to maintain the best possible weight gain by the animals which in a global competition gives the farmer an upper hand.

So to not fall down into a world of constant disease and freaky looking anomalies of not least the epidermal tissues, what need to be done at an agricultural level to avoid that doom?

Well I can tell that there are mainly two ways. One is to adapt the production to the outstanding animal health system we have in the Swedish production. Sweden has shown so many other countries it is possible to cut down almost 100 percent of antibiotics used in animal production.

The other just as important, if not of equal importance is falling onto the rest of the society; to pay what it cost to produce in a sustainable manner. As of now many farmers in the commercial agriculture has subsidies as you may have heard about. This in turn came among other factors from the demand of cheap food. Perhaps you can feel how this sinister loop just took us back right to the start of this discussion of antibiotics in commercial animal husbandry?

If we want to continue living in the way we do we need to invest in animal husbandry in many ways. Next time you go to the store, don´t buy the cheapest alternative just because you can! Just a tip for your own health.

/Until next time

Something that has caught my attention since I moved to Uppsala is the inhaling of poisonous fumes. For days now I have paid attention to the clouds that leave my lounges after a set of cars has passed me on the road. One can see that others too suddenly exhale the emissions from traffic around Uppsala. This moist that suddenly appears after a car has passed a set of people on the pavement, spreading like the Wave among soccer supporters.

During the first year of our education we were told during our juridical session that Uppsala is an issue grinding the gears of the EU machinery. The Kungsgatan road, partly passing by the central station has to high emission values.

It can´t be very healthy to live in this city actually I begin to get a feeling of. Now many car owners have upgraded their cars during the last year of favorable interest rates. Since many have invested in diesel cars one can now more than ever taste this sour stench on the tongue from the cold starts done every morning and every afternoon of these diesels.

We have extended the infrastructure system more than ever in Sweden. Not least in Stockholm as I mapped via the endeavors with the Northern Link. Uppsala is the city of the cars. So far it doesn´t seem to get any better, or any restrictions for cars what so ever.

Here we are in Sweden, extending our car infrastructure while other countries erase their highways through big cities in for example Asia. In South America there have been some very clear progresses to restrict cars in favor for many unprotected road users.

In Uppsala we´re building more multi level car parks than I´ve ever seen in a single city. Of which I have been into the construction enterprise myself. Why is one of the most enlightened cities in Sweden so stuffed with competence going the straight other way for a Sustainable development for combating climate change?

Hi!

The thesis is going forward. The weather is getting sunnier. So far things have shown some signs of improvement. Also I managed to find a very fitting video from the Married with children series.

Many times concerning Sustainable Development there is an overarching debate between supporters of so called strong and weak sustainability. It´s essentially about what sacrifices people should do when balancing the trinity within Sustainable Development. Some press on about that parts of the biosphere could be traded for other interests such as economic owed to beliefs in say the economic system to lift poor people. Others say that, no, the biosphere can´t be traded for money – no biosphere no life!

I think this short contribution from one of the series I´ve favored the most highlight one of the debates I´ve been very much into. This is about weak sustainability in relation to belief in technological quick fixes to avoid changing our consumption patterns. In the middle of it all we have the human craving to become famous.

Furthermore it´s actually very funny^^ Perhaps you owed to the angle of the clip can figure out where a guy with his major in Biology stand in such a debate?

/Erik

Yeah, sorry to say I´m in the biggest drop in efficiency I´ve been into in three years right now. So in lack of some real school progress to report I can at least mention that various international prices to SLU continue to role in. With a history the last years of climbing the ladder in various themes internationally, SLU is now by the account of QS Top Universities at the fourth place in the subjects: agriculture & forestry.

I’m not surprised actually. My experiences from the master class of representing food strategies and human cultures´ dependence on biosphere, has clearly increased my confidence that I can trust my knowledge from SLU. I can´t say I share the mainstream worldview among SLU students in various subjects, but hey, isn´t that what a good education should be able to give you – an own worldview that can be scientifically discussed with others.

This make me think of our Food Strategy that was presented the other month in Sweden. I believe that many farmers in Sweden feel a bit bi polar towards what it brings with it. Lots of discussion I see on various blogs among farmers goes towards the subject nationality in relation to federation via EU. I myself felt that opening up soils our famers use to international land grabbing feel very in the scope of what many high authorities in EU mandate feel are in their interests, rather in the farmers´.

I just love how the authors are presenting cultivation systems and the spatial agricultural area in Sweden in relationship to their knowledge of cultivation systems. They want to keep the door open for more environmental cultivation systems but continue to refer to an old discussion of organic vs. conventional, while denoting a decline of agricultural area owed to other land usages. Too bad that these so called other land usages fulfill very well as more sustainable than the current ones, but are still not to be considered agricultural and thereby not entitled subsidies.

Planet Ocean (2012) show very well where current global food strategies has tagen us. Now Sweden want to tag along down the drain. Planet Ocean credits.

It´s very sad that even though the authors want to include all three dimensions of sustainability into their strategy, they still favor only one – economical – owed to their will to still serve food to cheap prices at an international market.

/Erik

No more studying in 2016. Soon there´s only future ahead. The time is ticking and I guess all over the world big cities are crowded with expectant inhabitants. Yes the next year should be filled with new possibilities and fresh starts.

New gadgets are presented in an ever increasing rate to help us save the world. Guess there has been a new threshold of purchases for Christmas gifts, again. New, more environmentally friendly cars are presented with various spices for making great deals that includes trashing the old car. Good for resource consumption footprints. The development for lasers has peaked in a rate than ever before to help us trash enemy air craft in seconds.

New promising economic developments that rings well with the possibility to consume ourselves into the life (we) so badly want is set to bring the Overshoot date even earlier to 2017. Our overcrowded cities will bring new possibilities for environmental progress for the global majority. Yes, everyone will cultivate their own food at the balcony while international companies are purchasing rights for ownership over everything that grows.

Yeah each new year with new promises feels very ensuring. It´s so good we have come into this development of righteousness for all living things making us so environmentally friendly. Buying plant based food from all over the world to the sound of increased deforestation or ethanol produced instead of needed staple foods in poor countries, while harassing our domestic farmers´ meat production when the real problem is slaughter. Green promises sometimes feel, well, so green.

Yes, I guess people will be even more environmentally friendly next year while cutting prices/environmental-steps during productions stages. So that we can reach the circular society in 2017.

So what are you going to add to the world in 2017 beyond your word? Here you have words. See where they lead. Tnx Bethesda for wise words instead of short promises! Viewer discretion is advised!

Happy new year!