‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
1–10 of 235 posts
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#2The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences:
"The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials into finished products, so rises in the natural-gas price often flow through into fertilizer costs. Major fertilizer producers including China, Turkey, Egypt and Russia also curbed exports in the second half of 2021, further pushing up global prices."
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#3The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
This feels like a cheap & easy way to revel in scorching the earth.
If we tried to solve the energy problem at any sizable scale (nuclear or renewable, some of the low-hanging efficiencies available), so many other needs for oil & gas would taper. Prices could be stable or ideally decrease, while production is cut.
We've seen too many instances of electricity getting expensive, gas being a better alternative. We need to do better. I'm not even starting in on engaging what I think is the more contemporary geopolitical influence, the reduction in exports you cite.
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#4The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
Don’t underestimate the natural gas consumption by the oil industry. Since it’s cheaper than oil as an energy source, gas fuels refining, transportion and a lot of extraction of oil.
1/4 of Canada’s natgas consumption is from Alberta’s oil sands industry.
https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/ma...
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#5The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
What’s particularly ridiculous is an enormous amount of methane is just burned into the atmosphere as a waste product in oil fields and more is leaked into the atmosphere due to shoddy maintenance. The source material that is making fertilizer so expensive is free for the taking in some places but being wasted.
Heat + pressure + atmospheric nitrogen + catalysts + methane is being used to produce ammonia and urea which are either used directly or further reacted to produce other nitrogen compounds for fertilizer and so much more.
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#6Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#7The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
I believe people who want to cut oil and gas pollution have been aware of the escalating cost of inaction for some time.
As a minor nitpick on your post, i don't think holding an opinion on any particular topic makes anyone an 'activist' - just as i'm sure you are not a pollution activist.
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#8The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
It's sad that you are being downvoted. Nothing that you said was factually incorrect. People just want to squelch you because they don't like these facts and what they imply. Ideology is making things terrible for everybody.
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#9The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
> The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences
The cause-and-effect graph is much, much more complicated than you might assume.
For example, having to compete with cheap renewable energy would force fossil fuel prices down to match, making fertiliser costs cheaper.
If fossil fuels no longer needed to be used to make gasolene, then the unused production could be redirected into chemical feedstocks instead, including industrial and agricultural chemicals.
Costs are probably rising because of reduced exports, not the other way around. This can happen for all sorts of reasons, but is usually OPEC countries price-gouging because they can. If they have to compete with non-fossil-fuel energy sources, they can't unilaterally set energy prices by reducing production or exports.
Etc, etc...
Re: ‘Farms are failing’ as fertilizer prices drive up cost of food
#10The climate change activists who want to cut oil and natural gas production should consider the consequences: "The price-increases stem partly from global energy costs, with the average natural-gas price in Europe for the October-December quarter 10 times as much as that for the year of 2020, according to World Bank data. Nitrogen production facilities rely heavily on natural gas to convert chemical raw materials int…
Methane is needed to make hydrogen, which you can easily make from electricity and water. It’s just cheaper to make from methane so there aren’t facilities to make it using green energy.