We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
{{ subpage.title }}
Ukraine-EU farm export dispute: Are there any consequences?
Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics - this week from the airport in Madrid.
What are the consequence of the dispute now between Ukraine and the European Union on farm exports?
It is not really a dispute with the European Union because the commission has said that farm exports are okay. But then suddenly Poland has an election, and Slovakia which has election and Hungary, which has own policy, said, “No, no, we don't allow these particular grain exports from Ukraine because our farmers don't like it.” That runs totally contrary to the common trade policy that the European Union is running, runs totally contrary to the solidarity with Ukraine and support to Ukraine that we have all agreed on. So yeah, we'll see what happens. It’s a serious question.
What's the issue of using Catalan language in the European Parliament and the European Union as well?
Well, this is part of the efforts here in Spain to set up the new government. I mean, the socialists who have a very, very difficult position on negotiating with the Catalan separatists and the Catalan separatists, among other demands, are demanding that both Catalan and the Galician and Basque language should be official languages in the European Union. This brings up a huge number of issues, apart from making the European Union even more of a Tower of Babel than it is at the moment. The cost of translating every single speech, every single document, every single thing into the three languages brings immense costs, immense complexity. So expect the other European governments to say, “Hmm, we've listened to the demand. Let's ask the lawyers. Let's have a working group and let's do nothing.”
The Graphic Truth: US-Canada agriculture trade boom
The US and Canada, whose trade relationship topped $1.2 trillion in 2022, have long been at loggerheads over one key sector: agriculture. Indeed, both countries have accused the other of putting in place protectionist policies that undermine the spirit of free trade.
This all came to a head in 2018, when then-President Donald Trump played hardball over the renegotiation of a US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement, citing Ottawa’s role – dating back to the 1960s – in stabilizing agricultural prices at home. And Trump isn’t the only one with protectionist proclivities: President Joe Biden has kept many of his predecessor’s trade policies intact.
Despite claims that broad free trade agreements have hurt their respective farming sectors, bilateral agri-trade has in fact boomed over the past few decades due to the eradication of trade barriers. We take a look at US-Canada agriculture trade since 1990.
Water isn’t “free” - but it shouldn’t be private
UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo remembers being a college student in the late 70s, when people first started saying water should be treated as a public good. Today, we're still having that same conversation, but now, groups like UN-Water are working to make it a reality.
On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Houngbo emphasizes the importance of policies that ensure access to basic water services, encourage water reuse, and minimize the risk of pollution. It's easy to think water is free and we don't need to take care of it, says Houngbo, "but this has to stop."
The former Prime Minister of Togo also touches on "the sensitive issue of privatization of water services" and the potential impact it can have on "inequality and efficiency." Well-managed water services are a good thing, Houngbo notes, but privatization shouldn't mean the price of water automatically goes up.
Despite the double-edged sword of privatization, he suggests that it "can be effective if accompanied by government regulations" to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to water and that private companies adhere to quality and safety standards.
Watch the GZERO World episode: The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity
The challenge of measuring the global water crisis
How do you measure the global water crisis? When it comes to climate change, many people are familiar with the 1.5°C metric from the Paris Climate Accords, but is there an equivalent for water? In a discussion with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo delves into the complexity of measuring the global water challenge and evaluating solutions for the future.
UN-Water is a consortium of dozens of UN agencies working together to address the water crisis and figure out the best way to meaure progress. Houngbo notes that metrics like access to drinkable water, sanitation, and water reuse are a good start. But the worst water scarcity problems are in rural areas, where the data quality is challenging.
Developing strong metrics, Houngbo says, will help us better understand the “nexus between water and climate change," because water is so closely linked to the health of our planet. For example, some of the world's rivers are losing 10-20% of their reserves each year, and precisely tracking that loss with tools like artificial intelligence will help us better address the problem.
But it's not all bad news. Houngbo is positive our society can meet the global water challenge. In the medium to long term, he says, our habits and way of life will adjust, and “the Internet of Things” will help change our consumption patterns.
Watch the GZERO World episode: The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity
- Will the world come to grips with its water crisis in 2023? ›
- The Graphic Truth: Has clean water access improved? ›
- Water will become very political in 2023, says Eurasia Group analyst ›
- Hard Numbers: Meet Bard, grim new climate report, Colombia’s Toro ban, Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law, IMF approves Sri Lankan relief ›
Untangling the global water crisis
Access to clean and drinkable water is a significant challenge all over the world. UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to shed light on the complexity of the issue, which he says is “a combination of bad governance and lack of resources.”
He stresses that water needs to become "everyone's business," and investment in water-related infrastructure is key. Houngbo points out that agriculture is responsible for “75% of water use,” so making it “climate-friendly” is a necessary step.
The situation in Yemen, where there is virtually no water access, highlights the challenges faced in addressing the problem. Houngbo notes that a multi-pronged approach that involves investment in infrastructure and technology is key – especially in areas like desalination. He acknowledges that desalination is expensive, and official development cooperation can play a role in addressing the issue.
Watch the GZERO World episode: The uncomfortable truth about water scarcity
Shocks making it harder to meet Sustainable Development Goals
After the pandemic and now the global food crisis, meeting the UN's Sustainable Goals by the 2030 deadline will be a tall order.
But actually it's previous systemic challenges aggravated by those crises that are undermining the push to achieve the SDGs, Kathryn Hollifield, from the World Bank's Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, explained during a livestream discussion on the global food crisis hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
To get the job done in time, she recommends moving on from global commitments to making progress at then national and local levels.
"Let's get off the global stage for a minute and focus on getting support to the ground and having our teams on the ground talk to each other," Hollifield said.
- UN Chief António Guterres: nations no longer trust each other ... ›
- Want to fix climate change? This is what it'll take. - GZERO Media ›
- Will politics destroy the planet? - GZERO Media ›
- Time to call a COP: the COP26 climate summit - GZERO Media ›
- Microsoft president Brad Smith has a plan to meet the UN's goals - GZERO Media ›
- Who can solve the world's "emergency of global proportions"? - GZERO Media ›
- The road to 2030 - GZERO Media ›
- The Road to 2030: Getting Global Goals Back on Track ›
- 2022 has been rough. Will 2023 be any better? - GZERO Media ›
- Join us live from Davos on January 19th - GZERO Media ›
Innovation: cause for optimism amid the global food crisis
How long will food prices keep rising? Will food itself become scarce? There's a lot of doom and gloom these days about the global food crisis, made even worse by Russia's war in Ukraine.
But there are some reasons to be hopeful, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said during a livestream conversation about the global food crisis hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the organization he leads.
The Gates Foundation, he explained, has long been investing in innovations that can massively increase productivity by smallholder farmers across the developing world. Think drought-tolerant seeds or flood-resistant rice.
What's more, new tools like apps to customize fertilizer use and digitally map soil are becoming available to smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The goal is to double smallholder productivity.
Still, Suzman points out, none of that will matter without investing more in climate adaptation — especially better use of water.
Why do the world's poorest pay more for the same food?
Smallholder farmers in developing countries currently produce about 30% of the world's food. But they are way less productive than large-scale farmers in the developed world.
Thomas Njeru, who knows a thing or two about smallholder farming because he grew up on a small farm in his native Kenya before co-founding a micro-insurance firm for smallholders, says boosting the productivity of smallholders could up global food output by 30% — more than enough to cover the 10% deficit we now face.
In a livestream discussion about the global food crisis hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he explains that the production capacity of smallholders will continue to be undermined by things like high fertilizer prices, resulting in tomatoes in Nairobi costing four times more than in Chicago.
The world's poorest farmers, Njeru adds, are bearing the brunt of the global food price crisis.