Climate change is not only one of tomorrow’s most important sustainability issues, it is one of today’s most important issues as well -  fueling questions about our environment and our health and also powering new innovations. Some of the innovations have had unanticipated consequences, such as when the U.S. attempted to reduce dependence on petroleum by turning corn into ethanol.  That effort, coupled with a frenzy of speculation in the commodity markets, led to a spike in food prices in the U.S, and food riots in the developing world.  

Our own missteps aside, current famines, droughts and food shortages are causing people to rethink how and where we grow food today, as well as how we will meet the ever-increasing demand. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture organization predicts that by 2050, we’ll need to increase farm production by 70% to keep up with increasing demand.  

But it’s not only a global question; it is local as well. For the past three years, California has been experiencing a severe drought. California typically produces about half the country’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts. And this year, the drought’s impact on California’s farms was made worse by an unseasonably warm winter, which reduced the Sierra snow pack.

The state has put the 2008 drought losses at more than $300 million, and economists predict that this year’s losses could swell past $3 billion, with as many as 95,000 agricultural jobs lost. Millions of pounds of leafy green, fruits and vegetables may not be grown for market this year. In that case, the gap will be filled, in part, by lower quality and higher prices. 

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It’s different this time. That’s what most of the pundits have been saying about the current economic crisis. Why it’s different is still up for debate. Maybe it’s how it began or, of more interest to most of us, how it will end. It could be a “U” or a “V” with a relatively quick recovery, or a “W” or an “M” with a second bounce up or down. Whatever the reason, this time it’s different. I’m the child of parents who were part of the Greatest Generation, and who lived through the Great Depression.

Ironically, I was born just a handful of weeks before Sodexo first started business in France. And, along with Sodexo, I have lived through a handful of economic downturns. Some were short and sharp while others lasted longer. A few have been severe enough to be called a recession.

In those past downturns, whenever the economy started to decline, business and industry have regularly called for loosening environmental and health protections as one way to provide some stimulus. And lawmakers would just as regularly respond with proposals to provide temporary waivers or roll back regulations. 

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