I recently finished Just Food, a book by James McWilliams which describes a research based approach to eating environmentally sustainable food.  McWilliams debunks the popularly held notion that eating local and organic food is always the best choice, or that it is even possible on a global scale.  He also describes the possible benefits of genetically modified foods, so long as they are well regulated; they can significantly increase crop yields, thus requiring less cropland to supply a steadily growing population.  Perhaps the best portion of the book is the chapter dedicated to the problem of meat-eating, which is based on the claim that being an environmentalist and an omnivore is a complete contradiction in terms.  The chapter is the most well-reasoned and accessible explanation of the environmental harms of the meat industry that I have yet come across.

McWilliams rounds out his critiques of the current practices of both industrialists and activists with his own ideas about the future.  He describes the possibilities of “aquaponics”—a system in which fish and crops are grown symbiotically for the greatest yield on the least possible land.  This system has shown great promise wherever it has been implemented thus far.  McWilliams also attempts to turn the activist’s attention to what he believes is a key issue: agricultural subsidies.  He argues that until consumers begin demanding non-subsidized food, the agricultural industry will continue in the same destructive and wasteful vein.  This book is very informative and forces even the most informed reader to question his or her previously held beliefs.