Global Governance of Phosphorus:
Why So Misunderstood and the
Mammoth Policy Gap?
Arno Rosemarin PhD
Nelson Ekane PhD (cand)
Stockholm Environment Institute
Sustainable Phosphorus Summit
Montpellier
Sept 2, 2014
Phosphorus: extremes that can
confuse
 pollutant causing algal blooms
that can kill fish
 a component of explosives and
pesticides
 a food additive causing
problems for kidney patients
 an essential element for all life
to exist – bones and teeth and
all living cells, tissue and
organs
 a key fertilizer to grow food
and animal feed
Little progress on P governance
 Common perception: Food & fertilizer have
no limits
 EU’s mammoth agro-subsidy (1 billion
Euros/wk) creates false security – now
fragile
 No government will lead the dialogue –
increases in food prices a political nightmare
 Industry has taken a very low profile
 UN is not pro-active
 No geopolitical crisis yet like 1972 oil
 Duncan Brown’s empty gas tank analogy still
prevails
Overview of the talk
 What are the components of the P
value chain requiring governance?
 How do we govern other minerals?
 Where are we today on phosphorus
governance?
 Plotting a track ahead
P value chain – multiple
components to govern
 Rock phosphorus (apatite)
 Sulfuric acid - 5 parts
H2SO4 give 3 parts H3PO4
in the wet extraction
process
 Phosphorus products
(MAP, DAP, SP, etc)
 Agro and food system soil, food and animal feed
 Manure, excreta, solid
waste
Sulphuric acid production
Few countries have both P and S, requiring equity agreements
Soil P retention potential
ISRIC, 2011
Soils vary and governance needs to be adapted
Phosphorus sustainability to be
governed
 Reduce
 Improved efficiency in mining and extraction
 Improved fertilizer use and technology
 Less consumption of meat and dairy products
 Recycle
 Improved recycling of food production wastes,
sludge, manure, struvite, polonite, etc.
 Economic instruments and flexible fees
 Large users pay more tax fees than smaller
users
How do we manage other
minerals?
Towards more sustainable governance
of extracted materials
 EU Raw Materials Initiative
 UNEP International Resource
Panel (3Rs)
 Intergovernmental Forum on
Mining, Minerals, Metals, and
Sustainable Development
(IGF)
 EU-US-Japan - developing
substitutes, recycling & raw
material and product
efficiency
 IEA global energy cooperation
Existing models to increase data
transparency and collaboration
 Joint Organizations Data
Initiative (JODI) of the IEF,
contribution to transparency
on the oil & gas markets
 Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative
(EITI)
 OECD Due Diligence
Guidance for Responsible
Supply Chains of Minerals
from Conflict-Affected and
High-Risk Areas
 World Gold Council
UN independent study groups
 create market transparency by providing
data on production, consumption, trade,
and prices & national policies eg
environmental legislation
 Lead and Zinc (ILZSG)
 Copper (ICSG)
 Nickel (INSG)
Barriers to change
 speculation & raw
material cartels
 national stockpiling
 state companies
 trade tariffs & quotas
 lack of transparency
 revenue streams
 due diligence in
supply chains
Where are we today
on phosphorus governance?
Data governance of P rock
extraction still lacking
 P Rock Reserves/Resources (USGS)
 No UN agency involved
 Open to influence (IFDC 2010 report)
 Fertilizer production and consumption
(FAOstat)
 Commercial sources of data (IFA, CRU,
etc.)
Prior to 2010
 USGS P-rock data showed peak
P possible in 30-40 years
 IFDC 2010 report squelched
peak phosphorus debate and
Morocco “gets” global monopoly
status
 USGS changed its way of
estimating commercial P
reserves; resources can be
commercial reserves
 UNEP showed interest in the
peak phosphorus debate but
backed off
What happened since 2010
 IFDC report heavily criticized
by Dutch researchers in 2013
 EU Sustainable Phosphorus
Platform launched
 Interest in recycling P has
intensified
 P on the EU Critical Raw
Materials List
 Moroccan OCP expanding
rapidly now in order to meet
future global demand
Geopolitics causing price hikes in
phosphorus
 Oil price increases due to
conflicts (1973/2008)
 China export embargo
 P cartels
 Northern Africa
 Morocco-Algeria
conflicts
 Arab Awakening
 Preferential free trade
agreements with Morocco –
eg US, India, EU
P-Rock since 1960, World Bank
Terrorism in N Africa and the Sahel
The track ahead
 White paper on phosphorus
 Building on the GPRI Blueprint for Global Phosphorus
Security
 Global conference and Global convention
 Transparency on data regarding P-rock extraction and
trade
 Independent monitoring agency
 National reporting systems on use and reuse
 Best practices optimizing reuse
 Economic instruments promoting reuse & taxing waste
 Linkage to global food security strategies
 Communications programme
Stockholm Environment Institute
www.sei-international.org