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How the Strait of Hormuz saves the world’s poor from starvation

Nypost · · 815 words · By Bjorn Lomborg
Food Security Fossil Fuel Dependency Climate Change Policy
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/13/opinion/how-the-strait-of-hormuz-saves-the-world-f…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Straw Man 80% confidence
Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.
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Black-and-White Fallacy 70% confidence
Presenting only two options when more exist.
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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 75% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
cancel Disputed 1
check_circle Corroborated 1
schedule Pending 1
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“half of all the calories we consume from proteins, carbs and fats are made possible by the use of artificial fertilizers, derived overwhelmingly from natural gas.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results discuss how to calculate calories and general nutrition, but none of them address the percentage of global calories enabled by artificial fertilizers or their derivation from natural gas.
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web search NEUTRAL — In this video we discuss how to calculate the calories in a food item from carbohydrates, protein and fats from a nutrition label.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BREkOlt_uE
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web search NEUTRAL — Conclusion: Understanding the daily intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is essential for maintaining optimal health. Each macronutrient plays a unique and vital role in the body, from providin…
https://www.torrinomedica.it/english/dietology/carbohydrates…
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantity of protein, carbohydrate and fat content needed in daily food will be calculated based on the daily calorie needed by the human body. Please scroll down for details on using this weight loss …
https://www.mytecbits.com/tools/medical/protein-carb-fat-cal…
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“a quarter of the world’s fertilizer normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz.”
DISPUTED
Different sources provide conflicting percentages for fertilizer trade through the Strait of Hormuz: one source claims 'about one-third' (33%), while another suggests 'as much as half' (50%). The claim's 'quarter' (25%) is not explicitly confirmed by these specific figures, though it falls within the general range of high volume.
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web search NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis
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web search NEUTRAL — About one-third of global seaborne trade in fertilizers typically passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been nearly entirely closed since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Februar…
https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2026/03/fertilizer-ir…
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web search NEUTRAL — As much as half of some fertilizers flow through the Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked by Iran. The Northern Hemisphere and the U.S. in particular may be temporarily shielded from resulting higher fa…
https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/fertilizers-and-…
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“the blockade of the Strait — first imposed by Iran, now by US forces — are holding back much of the fertilizer”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Wikipedia and news articles) confirm that the Strait of Hormuz was blocked by Iran in response to US-Israeli strikes and that US forces subsequently blockaded Iranian ports.
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web search NEUTRAL — Since 13 April, the US has simultaneously blockaded Iranian ports. Until the US–Israeli war against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was open and about 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade and 20% of the w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis
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web search NEUTRAL — About one-third of global seaborne trade in fertilizers typically passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been nearly entirely closed since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Februar…
https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2026/03/fertilizer-ir…
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web search NEUTRAL — The stalemate means that the Strait of Hormuz , a critical waterway off Iran's coast that Tehran effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes, remains closed. Earlier in April, US forces anno…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv6xr6me3o
info
“The UN estimates that the conflict could drive fertilizer prices up by 15% to 20% and push at least another 45 million people into acute hunger.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for the UN provide general information about the organization's structure and purpose, but do not contain the specific estimates regarding fertilizer price increases (15-20%) or the number of people pushed into hunger (45 million).
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web search NEUTRAL — The UN has been recognized as a leader of peace and human development, with many officers and agencies having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but has also been criticized for perceived ineffective…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations
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web search NEUTRAL — All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.
https://www.un.org/en/
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web search NEUTRAL — The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with…
https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/topics/the-un-in-general.h…
info
“In 1928, the League of Nations estimated that more than two-thirds of humanity endured constant hunger.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results returned information about the video game 'League of Legends' rather than the historical 'League of Nations'. No evidence regarding 1928 hunger estimates was found.
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web search NEUTRAL — League of Legends (LoL), commonly referred to as League, is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, a custom map for Wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Legends
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web search NEUTRAL — League of Legends is a team-based game with over 140 champions to make epic plays with. Play now for free.
https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/
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web search NEUTRAL — Riot Games. Developer of League of Legends, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, and Wild Rift. Creators of Arcane. Home of LOL and VALORANT Esports.
https://www.riotgames.com/en
info
“Today, fewer than one in 10 people worldwide go hungry — a rate that dipped below 7% before disruptions like COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While search results provide general data on COVID-19 and world population, they do not provide the specific percentage of the global population going hungry or the trend of it dipping below 7%.
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web search NEUTRAL — The global COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic
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web search NEUTRAL — During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.Because of declining growth rates, it will now take over 200 years to double again.
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.Rates of population growth around the world. Life expectancy and its impact on world pop…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/
info
“Cereal production has quintupled since 1926”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence discusses the Green Revolution and meat production increases since 1961, but does not provide a specific figure for global cereal production growth since 1926.
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web search NEUTRAL — Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population, China. China's large and increasing population meant that increasing food production, principally rice, was a top priority for the Chinese …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution
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web search NEUTRAL — Global meat production has increased rapidly over the past 50 years – as we see, total production has more than quadrupled since 1961. The chart shows global meat production by region, measured in ton…
https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production
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web search NEUTRAL — The increase in average individual meat consumption means total meat production has been growing at a much faster than the rate of population growth, increasing four or fivefold since 1961.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/19/rising-g…
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“The UN’s April forecast points to another record-breaking global harvest for 2025-26”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results mention a World Economic Outlook for April 2026 and some specific crop reports, but there is no mention of a UN forecast predicting a record-breaking global harvest for 2025-26.
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web search NEUTRAL — Chapter 1: Global Prospects and Policies. The global economy is again disrupted, this time with the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Rising commodity prices, firmer inflation expectations, and tigh…
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/04/14/wo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sugar cane. The sugarcane harvest has begun in parts of the state, favored by the period of dry weather. The crops are in good overall condition, boosted by the recovery of soil moisture. Coffee.
https://revistacultivar.com/news/26-frosts-put-crops-on-aler…
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web search NEUTRAL — The WMO report forecasts that the annually averaged global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2025 and 2029 is predicted to be between 1.2°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the…
https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/global-climate-predictions…
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“roughly 670 million people continue to suffer from food insecurity today.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim.
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“When Sri Lanka went organic in 2021, rice yields, the country’s staple food, plunged by more than 30%.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim.
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“Elevated CO₂ levels have greened the planet, causing so many more leaves to grow since 2000 alone that their total area is larger than the continent of Australia.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.