The U.S. Unilateral Sanctions Against Russia Will Produce a Global Food Disaster

The threat to global fertilizer supply illustrates how energy products are an essential input into virtually all economic sectors.by John Ross"There is really no true solution to the problem of global food security without bringing back the agriculture production of Ukraine and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets despite the war.

" These blunt words by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accurately describe the present global food crisis. As the U.

S. and the G7 (comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) insist that cutting off food exports from Ukraine poses the biggest threat to world food security, rather than admitting the far more powerful negative effect of Western sanctions against Russia, their propaganda does immense damage to the world's understanding and capability of avoiding a looming global food disaster.

The G7 and the Approaching Food DisasterLooking at the world food supply situation, many experts see an imminent threat of "human catastrophe," as World Bank President David Malpass put it. Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, characterized his outlook on global food supply problems as "apocalyptic" when discussing increasing food prices.

This rise has led to the unfolding of two issues simultaneously: creating the threat of hunger and famine in parts of the Global South, and hitting living standards in every country across the globe.Even before rapid price rises surrounding the Ukraine war, more than 800 million people were suffering from chronic food insecurity--around 10 percent of the world's population.

U.S.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cited this fact while speaking to the participants of an April 2022 event, "Tackling Food Insecurity: The Challenge and Call to Action," whose participants included the heads of international financial institutions such as the World Bank's Malpass. Yellen also noted, "Early estimates suggest that at least 10 million more people could be pushed into poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa due to higher food prices alone.

" The World Food Program (WFP) plans "to feed a record 140 million people this year," and it reports that "at least 44 million people in 38 countries are teetering on the edge of famine," an increase from 27 million in 2019.In countries facing other problems, like climate change, food price increases have been catastrophic. For example, in Lebanon, "the cost of a basic food basket--the minimum...