$10 trillion for 4% renewables

[DrBob2]

@DrBob2

Four materials rank highest on the scale of necessity, forming what I have called the four pillars of modern civilization: cement, steel, plastics, and ammonia are needed in larger quantities than are other essential inputs…

But it is ammonia that deserves the top position as our most important material: its synthesis is the basis of all nitrogen fertilizers, and without their applications it would be impossible to feed, at current levels, nearly half of today’s nearly 8 billion people.

The West Needs to Come to Grips with African Fertilizer Needs

That’s because at the core of African food insecurity are the continent’s notoriously low crop yields…

And one of the main reasons for low yield compared to other regions is that African countries, on average, use far less fertilizer to boost their agricultural production than the rest of the world…barely one-fifth of the European Union…

In June 2022, the European Commission blocked an initiative to provide financial support for the construction of new fertilizer production plants in Sub-Saharan Africa that depend on fertilizer imports, mainly from Russia. According to the commission, the initiative would run counter to the European Union’s climate and energy commitments. Later in the year, the European Commission offered 4.5 billion euros in grants to Africa for food aid — helpful charity that does nothing to enable Africa to grow its own food — and investments in next-generation fertilizers.

DB2