Phosphates have long been crucial for food, environmental and social stability, and recently, sustainability concerns have brought phosphate to the fore as a major challenge for Europe. The EU relies heavily on imports of phosphates, as two thirds of the world’s phosphate production is in Morocco, China and the US. This dependence means that geopolitical turmoil can heavily impact the supply of phosphate rock to the EU, as witnessed with the Arab Spring and the Syrian conflict. At the same time, the phosphate challenge is closely tied to global food security. Food shortages and high food prices can be triggers for social instability and therefore create security challenges for the EU.
What can the EU do to mitigate the risks involved in the global phosphate market and redefine the relationship with phosphate rock producing countries into one which benefits both sides?
HCSS’ Marjolein de Ridder was invited by SusPhos to give a lecture discussing this at Tuesday’s International Conference on Phosphorus Chemistry (ICPC), at University College Dublin, focusing on the Geopolitics of Phosphorous Resources.
For more information about ICPC, click here.
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