For an analysis of nitrogen flows through the UK economy see Nitrogen UK. The report notes: ‘Of the 3.4Mt reactive nitrogen that we either create or produce per annum, over 1Mt is returned to the environment without any benefit being realised from it.'
For an analysis of nitrogen flows through the UK economy see Nitrogen UK. The report notes: ‘Of the 3.4Mt reactive nitrogen that we either create or produce per annum, over 1Mt is returned to the environment without any benefit being realised from it.'
Note that nitrous oxide, which results from a range of industrial and agricultural processes contributes 7% to the UK's greenhouse gas emissions (expressed in terms of CO2 equivalents) and agriculture contributes to about two thirds of these emissions. In its conclusions the report notes: ‘The agriculture industry has a large responsibility for nitrogen in the UK since years of [fertiliser] use has built up a reservoir in soil and water'.
It also says: ‘In the UK and Europe as a whole, nitrogen fertiliser use appears to have reduced or at least stabilised. However this is not because we have recognised and taken responsibility for our use of nitrogen fertiliser; it is because we have moved the problem elsewhere. We now import far more of our food than we did in the past. Nitrogen is as much a global problem, as a regional problem.'
Post a new comment »