Nitrogen Populism, Hidden Energy Chains, and Russia's Global Reach

• In Event: Nature and Politics

Abstract

This paper explores the connections between the agricultural and energy-industrial sectors through the case of nitrogen fertilizers produced from natural gas in Russia. It analyzes their global reach through both production chains as well as through a new type of agricultural protest gaining ground in the EU in the wake of increased restrictions on nitrogen pollution. Linking these protests with earlier and current protest in support of continued agricultural energy subsidies, the paper explores how this new “nitrogen populism” interfaces with Russia’s global energy role as it continued even after the EU’s significant decoupling from the importation of Russian oil and gas starting in 2022.

Author

• Margarita Mercedes Balmaceda, Harvard U / Seton Hall U