Kailas Karthikeyan

Policy, Regulation & Stakeholder Strategy. Alum of @Microsoft @UNCTAD DLF, National Law School,Bangalore & @ISB

[Lukas Ekwueme @ekwufinance]

The world is not ready for the sulfur crisis

Sulfuric acid is the most used industrial chemical on the planet that nobody has ever heard of, because nobody needed to. Production was stable, supply chains worked, and the whole system sat quietly in the background doing God’s work for fertilizers, metals, and chemicals.

Now it’s not.

- ~50% of global seaborne sulfur exports transit Hormuz
- Russia accounts for ~15% of global sulfur production
- Exports are down 70% vs pre Ukraine war
- Implemented an export ban
- China (~15% of the global market) is implementing an export ban

Before this crisis even started, sulfur prices had already surged ~160%.

And this isn’t just “an acid shortage”:

- Sour crude/gas -> sulfur -> sulfuric acid
- Sulfuric acid -> fertilizers -> food
- Sulfuric acid -> leaching -> copper, nickel, cobalt, uranium
- Sulfuric acid -> chemicals -> plastics, batteries, detergents, water treatment

These aren’t minor impacts. Synthetic fertilizers are responsible for ~50% of global food production. Take away the acid, and you put the world on a severe diet.

Export bans and domestic-first policies are just politicians short-squeezing the rest of the world. They protect the home market for a while, but they starve everyone else of feedstock and raise the probability that the next country slams the door too.

That’s a prisoner’s dilemma... sulfuric acid edition.

[Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz ,داني سيترينوفيتش @citrinowicz]

It is hard to overstate how dramatic the coming hours are. Without a doubt, this is the most critical moment since the war began.

The gaps remain significant but so is the potential cost. Not only for those directly involved in the fighting, but for the entire international system, and especially the global economy, should the conflict escalate further.

It is likely that behind the scenes, in recent hours, all relevant actors have been making an extraordinary effort, first and foremost, to prevent such escalation.

The key question remains: how can the regime be assured that, in practice, the war is over and negotiations are beginning when in reality this is only a ceasefire?

The core issue is guarantees, what credible assurances can be offered to Iran in a situation where it has virtually no trust in the intentions of the administration?

Critical hours are ahead of us!

#IranWar‌

[Skymet @SkymetWeather]

Drought-like conditions grip the Western Himalayas as snowfall remains absent, raising concerns for glaciers, rivers, agriculture, and winter tourism.
#Skymet #Himalayas #Snowfall #WeatherUpdate #Winter #Coldwave #Fog
Read:
https://t.co/a2qg1s2DAj

[New Scientist @newscientist]

2024 is now almost certain to enter the history books as the first year when average temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. https://t.co/oB4E94y6Zt

[Gurmeet Chadha @connectgurmeet]

In last 2 weeks -So many young investors , friends called to check

- what to buy
- how much to buy
- reviewing what they r holding

Early days but equity culture is building up.

Young investors r underrated n not everyone is seeking quick gains n impulsive 👍

[Vincent Rajkumar @VincentRK]

The population of Delhi is 20 million. So far estimated deaths is 10,000. If 10 million have had COVID, we cannot reconcile the two numbers.

What are the factors besides lower age, less obesity, & underreporting that results in so much asymptomatic & mildly symptomatic COVID?

[Deepinder Goyal @deepigoyal]

Our order velocity right now is the highest we have seen in our life so far (~2500 orders per minute (opm)).

Surpassed India vs Pakistan day wala opm. And it's only 6pm! I hope our tech lives through this.💗

[FCC @FCC]

The FCC just adopted rules to establish ‘988’ as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for the suicide prevention and mental health hotline. #SuicidePrevention #OpenMtgFCC #FCCLive

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

BBC News - Racism definition: Merriam-Webster to make update after request - the definition should include a reference to systemic oppression https://t.co/URZpNXaTcj

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

"The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes" https://t.co/3MlcxHWmWK

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

Twitter hides a tweet from President Trump for ‘glorifying violence’ https://t.co/fr0kbRLOxM

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

UK migration: Net migration from outside EU hits 'highest level' https://t.co/lGimFpX34q

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

Grandmother ordered to delete Facebook photos under GDPR https://t.co/SIu7WMDSpD

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

Controversial New Zealand bill passed to enforce alert level 2 powers, via @nzherald https://t.co/8xRycK3OGC

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

Families balance the fear of contracting coronavirus at a vaccination appointment against the risks associated with delaying a child’s immunization https://t.co/viZpxQkRjM

[Milan Vaishnav @MilanV]

Just a reminder: the great @PRSLegislative is keeping a running tally of all central + state #COVID19 notifications in India. Searchable database here: https://t.co/ahh6FDP4Dk

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

Data | From 129 to 430 districts in a month: how coronavirus cases are spreading https://t.co/bBcnFl1CGh

[Kailas Karthikeyan @kailask3]

Here’s what you do with two-thirds of the world’s jets when they can’t fly https://t.co/32wjkD0hyw

[Richard H Thaler @R_Thaler]

Brilliant piece by Michael Lewis. Needs to go viral so please RT https://t.co/F6TdVndVdn