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A World of Co-benefits: Solving the global nitrogen challenge
Citation:
Houlton, B., M. Almaraz, V. Aneja, A. Austin, E. Bai, K. Cassman, J. Compton, E. Davidson, J. Erisman, J. Galloway, B. Gu, G. Yao, L. Martinelli, K. Scow, W. Schlesinger, T. Tomich, C. Wang, AND X. Zhang. A World of Co-benefits: Solving the global nitrogen challenge. Earth’s Future. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 7:1-8, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EF001222
Impact/Purpose:
Despite breakthroughs in the creation, distribution and application of nitrogen fertilizers for food, fuel and fiber production, substantial disparities in the world’s nitrogen balance remain. While developed nations have benefited from nitrogen fertilizer technology since the early 1900s, many subsistence farmers in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America continue to suffer from inadequate access to commercial fertilizers. Lack of universal access to nitrogen is principal to food insecurity, which in turn hinders education, human health and societal resilience. Conversely, poor management practices and inefficient nitrogen fertilizer applications on agricultural lands have harmed the global economy: several hundred billion dollars of financial losses have been ascribed to excess nitrogen-use in the US and EU alone. Much of the social cost of nitrogen-inefficiency is evident in human health risks, such as cancer and upper-respiratory disease, in addition to nitrogen-driven climate change impacts and toxic algae blooms. Experts in nitrogen cycling and management across the globe, led by Ben Houlton of the University of California at Davis, collaborated to produce this document that proposes new ways to balance the nitrogen demands and impacts of nitrogen release to the environment.
Description:
Nitrogen is a critical component of the economy, food security, and planetary health. Many of the world’s sustainability targets hinge on global nitrogen solutions, which, in turn, contribute lasting benefits for: (i) world hunger; (ii) soil, air and water pollution; (iii) climate change; and (iv) biodiversity conservation. Balancing the projected rise in agricultural nitrogen demands while achieving these 21st century ideals will require a new level of policy-coordination amongst technologies, consumer choice, and socioeconomic transformation.
