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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Mid-East unrest could increase global phosphorus threat
  • Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:08:44 -0700


I use rock phosphaste amending my beds.

Mid-East unrest could increase global phosphorus threat
by Terry Clinton Published Feb 2 2011 by University of Technology Sydney
http://newsroom.uts.edu.au/search/site/phosphorus
Two Australian experts in global phosphorus have warned instability in the
Middle East and North Africa could threaten world food security, due to the
high proportion of global phosphate rock reserves in the region. Speaking in
the US today at the Sustainable Phosphorus Summit at Arizona State
University, Professor Stuart White and Dr Dana Cordell voiced concern that
the instability is an additional component in a looming supply-demand gap in
global phosphorus resources.
Phosphorus is required to produce fertiliser and is not able to be
substituted in food production.
"Morocco alone controls the vast majority of the world's remaining high
quality phosphate rock," Professor White said. "Even a temporary disruption
to the supply of phosphate on the world market can have serious ramifications
for nations' food security."
Professor White and Dr Cordell, from the Institute for Sustainable Futures
at the University of Technology, Sydney, are leading an international
research initiative on the likely peak in phosphate rock production before
the end of the century. "Demand for phosphorus is increasing globally due to
changing diets in developing countries, biofuel production and population
growth," Professor White said.
"Peak phosphorus is often highly misunderstood as the 'year we will run
out of phosphorus'. The peak actually refers to the point in time when
production will no longer be able to keep up with demand due to economic and
energy constraints. Whilst the exact timeline is uncertain, it will be much
sooner than the time when all the reserves have been depleted. "Even before
the peak in production occurs, there is the prospect of significant price
spikes and impact on farmers and global crop yields."





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