Survivalist Solution
"We researched the worst cases and asked, 'is it possible to still feed everybody after a complete collapse of the agricultural system?'" he says. "All solutions until this BOOK focused on food storage, the survivalist method of putting cans in closets. But for global catastrophes, you'd need at least five years of supplies -- think bedroom size, not just a closet."
That big a stockpile just isn't possible globally, let alone in America, says Pearce. Families simply don't have enough MONEY, and stockpiling would only raise food prices, causing more of the world's poor to starve.
Worry not, says Pearce. Even if the sun were blacked out for years at a time, killing all plants, we're still okay sans brimming bunkers of canned goods.
After looking at five crop-destroying catastrophes (sudden climate change, super-weeds, super-bacteria, super-pests and super-pathogens) and three sunlight-extinguishing events (super-volcano eruption, asteroid or comet impact, and nuclear winter), Pearce says we have a way to feed everyone on Earth for five years. That's enough time for the planet to recover, allowing a gradual return to the agricultural system we use today.