Cher’s explanation of redistribution of resources might appear shallow. It is a very clear example of how resources can be redistributed to “party with the Haitians” (Clueless 1995). It does not mean that taking out all your food from home and giving it to refugees will help to overcome the skewed distribution of resources. However, the main problem with the resources is that they are not distributed fairly, so while some countries consume more resources but have less population, others have to find a way and supply large populations with little resources. It is not surprising that people from countries with extreme poverty try to escape to other, more wealthy ones.
The refugee crisis, although triggered by the war, has also shown the consequences of unfair distribution of resources. However, redistributed resources will not be a sustainable revenue source because the Earth’s population also needs to be considered to solve the problem. If it grows as rapidly as we see it growing now, even wealthy countries will feel the impact of this resource drain. The populations of the first-world countries also need to reconsider their consumption, since almost half of the food that is thrown away is still unexpired, sometimes even unopened. So far, the only country that does not allow supermarkets to label unexpired food as ‘waste’ is France.
How many tons of food are destroyed every day in wealthy countries and how many people die of hunger due to overpopulation and poverty? To ascertain that resources are redistributed correctly, humanity needs to solve two problems: overconsumption and overpopulation.
References:
Lawrence, R. (Executive Producer). 1995. Clueless [DVD]. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros.