Iceland v. Palm Oil, Wheat Shortages in Africa & Moroccan Mischief in Western Sahara

In this episode, Alex starts with the most pressing issue of our time — the spat between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars. Then he talks about Iceland reverting to Palm Oil Products and how there a fears of a mega-famine in Sub-Saharan Africa which could be made worse by the Invasion of Ukrainian. He ends by talking about how the “conflict” over Western Sahara may be coming to an end. The details — 

 

• Starting in 2018, supermarket chains in Iceland decided to ban their store-brand products from having Palm Oil, which is linked with deforestation and the extinction of several species. Unfortunately, the War in Ukraine has forced these companies to revert to using Palm Oil in their brands. Alex discusses how the war has forced countries and companies to backtrack on their environmental progress. According to the Guardian, companies had to revert to Palm Oil because “…the price of a key alternative – sunflower oil – has soared by 1,000% during the war in Ukraine.” This is mainly because the Black Sea region (mainly Ukraine and Russia) accounts for 80% of sunflower oil production. 

 

• Even before the Invasion of Ukraine, climate change was directly damaging the continent of Africa. A UN report found that “Tens of millions of people across Africa face the risk of famine, drought, disease, and displacement within decades…” The horn of Africa has already experienced a food insecurity crisis and sub-Saharan Africa has been hit with lower yields of grain. Now the continent will have to turn to other parts of the world to import grain. Unfortunately for them, the Council on Foreign Relations discusses how “The World Food Program buys more than half of the wheat it distributes around the world from Ukraine.” This is because Ukraine and Russia produce close to 30% of the world’s wheat, but the invasion has changed this scenario. Also, floods and droughts in China have led to a drop in the exportation of crops like soy, wheat, and corn as well. Alex worries that all of this food insecurity will lead to political chaos and violence. 

 

• Finally, the long-lasting war or cold war between Morocco, Spain, Western Sahara, a rebel group, and Algeria may be coming to an end. The economist notes that “Spain abandoned its long-held neutrality and tilted in favor of Morocco. Its Prime Minister called Morocco’s plan to give the Saharans autonomy within the kingdom “the most serious, realistic and credible”. The EU gave a cautious thumbs-up to Morocco, too.” Alex goes into the background on this crisis, why it is fascinating that it could be coming to an end, and why Morocco is still not a good actor in this issue.