An escalating Iran–U.S. conflict has left ships stuck behind the Strait of Hormuz and badly damaged oil and gas infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, a disruption the International Energy Agency has called the largest supply shock in global oil market history. In parts of Canada, gasoline climbed above $2 per liter. The article argues the spike has highlighted how deeply cities depend on gasoline-powered cars, while offering no near-term path to supply relief as the supply-demand mismatch persists.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo used AI-driven predictive modeling to assess how the combined pressures of elevated CO₂, heat and drought could affect soybeans. The model projects bean output would rise 50%, while seed protein would drop 6% and starch would fall 20%. It also estimates amino acids would increase 175%. The projections were extrapolated from experimentally validated dual-stress data rather than direct tests of all three factors together, highlighting non-linear shifts in metabolic pathways.

New research says the EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) faces three obstacles in Brazil: the Cerrado savanna is not treated as forest under the EU definition, monitoring and traceability systems remain fragmented, and China has replaced the EU as the main buyer of Brazilian beef. The analysis focuses on beef, but it also lists coffee and cocoa among products covered by the EUDR. The study argues that implementation hurdles could raise compliance costs and squeeze smaller producers’ ability to supply, materially disrupting global coffee and cocoa supply chains without triggering an immediate price spike or abrupt policy shift.