by lavinia butt
opinioni
in favour of milan expo
Let us not kid ourselves. We are operating in self-destruct mode. Did you know that to sustain our present levels of consumption in the western world alone it would take 1.5 earths? Did you also know that 3.1 million children under-five in developing countries die each year as a result of poor nutrition?
With the world population expected to reach 9bn by 2050, obviously global consumption rates will continue to increase. However, the sheer waste of food in parts of the world is shocking; every year, consumers in industrialized countries waste almost as much food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. With this shocking imbalance between rich and poor countries, there is also a paradox in the system. In the very same countries where up to one third of children suffer starvation and stunted growth, 900 million people are obese. The cause is straightforward: accessibility of the right food-types and in sufficient quantities.
Expo 2015 will be tackling these exact issues. The world is on Milan’s doorstep to attend one of the greatest exhibitions on the planet, with this year’s theme "Feeding the planet, energy for life". From May 1st to October 31st, the Expo will host events on dietary education, food safety, security, and quantity and innovation in the agro food supply chain, to name a few. With exhibition areas recreating the typical “food cycle” of each nation, from production to consumption, the six month event will impact the way every country sees and treats food.
The great thing about this year’s Expo is the knowledge and awareness it will bring of issues that we (in our western bubble) tend to forget day to day. While food comes to us easily and “pain-free”, the rest of the world is suffering. Not just the people, but the planet itself. The food industry has depleting consequences for the environment. With soaring meat demand, it is at the forefront of environmental damage. Large scale deforestation takes place daily to make space for beef cattle, mostly for export markets. Thousands of acres of land in Brazil, Honduras and Guatemala alone have been levelled for livestock, displacing millions of poor families in these countries. Land is made unusable for years because of overgrazing, preventing agriculture for local farmers, and water is more often than not wasted to keep up the demand of this food-type.
In addition, about 190 gallons of water are used per animal every day for meat breeding – ten times what the average Indian family consumes in a single day! Whether the meat industry could ever be made sustainable is a contentious issue, for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Meat is important, but perhaps not in such excessive quantities. We need to change our approach to what we eat and how much we eat of it.
Milan’s Expo will be delivering this very message by demonstrating a variety of healthy and sustainable food alternatives that will enable us to enjoy a wide range of cuisines without long term damages to our planet, and ultimately, to ourselves.
Awareness of food, health and environmental issues is fundamental to a stable and happy society. But how will the Expo benefit Italy specifically? In one of the most significant economic downturns in a century, the Italian government's gross debt is now more than 130% of annual GDP. By putting Milan on the map as an international figurehead for environmental issues, there is no doubt that Milan’s Expo will do amazing things for Italy’s tourism, and attract the attention of a diversity of nations. Visitors of the Expo are expected to include over 140 countries and a high number of international organisations. Italy’s beautiful landscapes and cities continue to attract tourists from across the globe. The Expo will allow this remarkable country to continue shining on the world-platform of culture and cuisine.