Topic

#food security

2 articles

A massive darkened oil refinery at twilight with all lights off and cooling towers cold, a single withered corn stalk growing through a crack in the concrete foreground, distant orange glow of a burning tanker on the horizon, photojournalistic documentary style with natural available light

Apr 22, 2026 • 12 min read

54 Days Closed the Strait. 30 More Kill the Refineries.

The Strait of Hormuz has been closed for 54 days. The crude blockade is crisis number one. Crisis number two is quieter and worse: Asian refineries are shutting down for lack of feedstock, and one-third of global fertilizer is trapped behind the same blockade. The refineries take weeks to restart. The planting season does not wait at all.

#Iran war #Strait of Hormuz #refinery shutdown

Cinematic close-up of industrial sulfuric acid tanks with warning labels, surrounded by smoke and dramatic amber lighting, ultra-wide 16:9 composition

Apr 2, 2026 • 10 min read

30 Days of Bombs Cut Off Half the World's Sulfur

The Iran war cut off 47% of global seaborne sulfur. The downstream crisis threatens fertilizer production, copper mining, and semiconductor manufacturing. The pain is just arriving.

#sulfur #sulfuric acid #Iran war