Asian Agrifuture: The Key to Overcoming the Global Tetralemma?

Abstract

Most of the problems facing mankind today are classified into the following four problems. They are four issues of population, food, energy, and environment. They were part of an ecosystem, but after rapid population growth, technological innovation, and the introduction of the concept of economics, the ecosystem was destroyed by the economy. That is, when the population increases, it becomes necessary to increase food production, and mechanical power consumes a large amount of energy. Oil as an energy source emits carbon dioxide when burned. Carbon dioxide causes the problem of global warming and threatens the survival of human beings. The author has called these four issues a new terminology, the global tetralemma, and has stressed the need for immediate solutions. Although no optimal solution has been found to solve these four problems simultaneously and harmonically, however, agriculture has great potentials for solving these four problems. An urgent concern that has received the most attention in recent years is the building of a decarbonized society. Specifically, it is a shift from fossil energy to clean energy that does not emit carbon dioxide. In automobiles, there is a hot debate about what the next power source should be. In other words, the choice is between electricity, hydrogen, and biomass. The issue is what to do with the mainstream, but the possibility of hydrogen propulsion in the minority tends to surpass that of electricity. The ultimate energy is electricity, but we must be aware that both hydrogen and biomass are necessary for power generation. Electricity is considered the ultimate form of energy, but we must be aware that we need biomass and hydrogen as much for power generation.

This chapter looks at the current state of various problems occurring around us, introduces strategies, and policies, and technologies for dealing with them, and discusses Asian agrifuture development equipped with high technology and its economic promotion centered on ASEAN Economic Community, as well as concrete and feasible projects including its purpose, final goal, effects for Asia sustainability. It can be found from the discussion that agriculture holds the important key to overcoming the global tetralemma. Not only the energy sector but also the new material technologies are developed day by day such as Cellulose Nano Fiber, Bio-plastics, Nano bubble water etc.