Costs and benefits of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer for global production of cereal grains in 2015 and in 2050 under contrasting scenarios
Increased use of synthetic N fertilizer has boosted global cereal grain production, but also led to a massive increase of reactive N loss and environment impacts. This paper quantifies the global…
In the new report “Appetite for Change” scientists provide a recipe to halve nitrogen pollution from food production in Europe. This pollution is caused by poor use of nitrogen, particularly in…
Cost-effective mitigation of nitrogen pollution from global croplands
Based on a meta-analysis of 1,521 worldwide field observations, 11 key measures were identified that reduce global nitrogen losses from croplands to air and water by 30–70%, while increasing crop…
Halving nitrogen waste in the European Union food systems requires both dietary shifts and farm level actions
This paper analyses options to halve nitrogen losses to the environment by 2030, which is a target of the Farm to EU Fork Strategy. We found that a combination of interventions to (a) increase farm…
Establishing long-term nitrogen response of global cereals to assess sustainable fertilizer rates
Insight into the response of cereal yields to nitrogen fertilizer is fundamental to improving nutrient management and policies to sustain farm economy and food sufficiency with minimum nitrogen…
Phosphorus for Sustainable Development Goal target of doubling smallholder productivity
The supply of phosphorous is crucial to food security. Future phosphorous management will therefore play an important role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2, zero hunger). However, in…
Abating ammonia is more cost-effective than nitrogen oxides for global mitigation of particulate matter air pollution
Worldwide, more than 4 million people die prematurely every year due to ambient air pollution. This is more than from malnutrition or overweight. Particulate matter (PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5…
Quantification of global and national nitrogen budgets for crop production
Input–output estimates of nitrogen on cropland are essential for improving nitrogen management and better understanding the global nitrogen cycle. Here, we compare 13 nitrogen budget datasets covering…
Societal benefits of halving agricultural ammonia emissions in China far exceed the abatement costs
Mitigating agricultural ammonia (NH3) emissions in China is urgently needed to avoid further damage to human and ecosystem health. Effective and feasible mitigation strategies hinge on integrated…
The wicked problem the Water Framework Directive cannot solve
Nutrients (nitrates, phosphates) from agricultural sources remain a ‘wicked problem’ in realizing the aims of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), partly because the directive has to rely on…
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