In the Outlook, the nutrient load on fresh water ecosystems exemplifies the pressure on aquatic ecosystems.

Effect to the load of nitrogen compounds at the river mouth

The figure shows the effect of the policy package to the load of nitrogen compounds at the river mouth. This load is mostly caused by agricultural activities and sewage. In the policy package analysed here both factors increase outside the present OECD countries. In the ‘rest of the world’ group, even additional sewage treatment cannot keep up with the Millennium Development Goals-related drive to provide more people with improved sanitation and access to sewerage.

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