World entering commodities supercycle

A briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examining the rise in agricultural and mining commodity prices since early 2020 and the resulting risks to climate goals, deforestation targets, and food security in low-income countries.

• Commodity prices for mining and agriculture have risen sharply since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, leading to a debate over whether the world is entering a commodity supercycle.
• The transition to a low-carbon economy relies on scarce commodities, which is expected to drive mid-term price increases; specifically, copper consumption is projected to more than double by 2050.
• High gas prices have increased the cost of fertilizers, leading to warnings about 2022 harvests and prompting some countries to ban exports of ammonia and fertilizer.
• Rising prices and demand for agricultural commodities threaten the Glasgow climate agreement's deforestation goals, as agriculture may continue to expand into native vegetation to meet demand or feed growing populations.
• Persistently high commodity prices threaten acute food security in low-income countries that rely on cheap food imports, potentially forcing these nations to clear more land for subsistence crops.

APA

Gardner, T. (2021). World entering commodities supercycle. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/world-entering-commodities-supercycle

Chicago

Gardner, Toby. World entering commodities supercycle. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/world-entering-commodities-supercycle.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gardner |first1=Toby |title=World entering commodities supercycle |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=20 December 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/world-entering-commodities-supercycle |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gardner2021world, author = {Gardner, Toby}, title = {{World entering commodities supercycle}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/world-entering-commodities-supercycle}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }