2016 ENV Ministerial - Penny Johnes - UK - Nitrogen - Breakout session

Why Nitrogen Matters?

Adenine Thymine

Guanine Cytosine

The Nitrogen Cascade:the unintended consequences of increasing N use

Modified from European Nitrogen Assessment (2011)

Nitrogen export Nitrogen in

inland and coastal waters

The five key threats of excess N

Disturbance of the global N cycle is far great in magnitude than our modification of the C cycle

Visible impacts of terrestrial N pollution: biodiversity losses

Loss of biodiverse understorey Loss of sensitive lichen species Biodiversity loss in farmed meadows

Biodiverse woodland understorey Lichens sensitive to air pollution Wildflower biodiversity in meadows

N-poor natural ecosystems

N-enriched ecosystems

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Visible impacts of nutrient enrichment on the ecology of inland waters

Filamentous algal growth in lakes Closure of waterbodies Fish kills, Thames Toxic algal blooms

Microcystis bloom, Michigan Blue-green algal bloom, Lake Erie: Satellite image Bradford-on-Avon Canal

the amenity value of inland waters

Visible impacts of coastal nutrient pollution: implications for coastal communities

Caulerpa, Florida Green tides, Brittany Fish kills, Gulf of Mexico Shell-fishery closure

Under the microscope Microcystis bloom, Baltic Noctiluca tides, New Zld. Phaeocystis foam, NL

The scale of the N challenge in UK waters

Total N lost to waters annually

Typical riverine concentrations 1 – >20 mg N/l

TN (kg/ha)0 – 23 – 45 – 89 – 1617 – 3233 – 6465 – 128> 128

Target riverine concentrations 1 – 2 mg N/l

Greene et al (2015) Environmental Modelling & Software 68, 219-232

European Nitrogen Assessment (2011)

The scale of the N challenge in EU waters

Potential eutrophication risk due to N enrichment

Population exposure tonitrate in European waters

Increasing societal exposure to nitrate in drinking water, generating adverse human health effects and increasing water treatment costs

European Nitrogen Assessment (2011); Our Nutrient World (2013)

Airborne PM2.5: months of life expectancy lost

Ammonia and NOx contribute to increasing societal exposure to total PM2.5 in air, generating respiratory illness and cancer and increasing healthcare costs.

An estimated USD 2 trillion of damage to the global environment and human health

€18 billion of fertilisers lost every year in the EU27, equivalent to 25% of CAP budget

£10-£20,000/km2 fertiliser loss and environmental damage costs on UK lowland farms

National Geographic Magazine

UNECE Gothenburg ProtocolFive Priorities for Ammonia

1. Low emission techniques for land spreading of cattle/pig/ poultry manures and mineral fertilizers

2. Animal feeding strategies, inc phase feeding

3. Covers on new slurry stores4. Farm N balance on

demonstration farms5. Low emission new pig & poultry

housing

EU Nitrates Directive (1991)

Targeted Action for Nitrate

1. Identification of polluted waters or at risk of pollution

2. Designation of land draining into those waters as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

3. Establishment of voluntary Codes of Good Agricultural Practice to reduce nitrate leaching

4. Establishment of compulsory Action Programmes within NVZs

5. Closing mineral cycles: managing farm nutrient use efficiency to reduce excess negative impacts

• Aimed at reducing nitrate in drinking water to < 11.3 mg N/l• Environmental targets are < 2 mg N/l

Dr Clare Howard: TFRN Secretariat & Towards INMS Team

Policy context: UN Sustainable Development Goals and Nitrogen

• 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, with 169 targets• 8 UN SDGs and 17 targets specifically linked to Nitrogen

The N challenge: towards integrated solutions• The scale of N pollution in soil, air and water is greater than previously thought

– Action is urgently need to halt biodiversity loss and bring human health impacts under control– Effective approaches will combine mitigation policies both for hotspots and N use efficiency

• Food production is the single greatest contributor to environmental degradation – This will rise as economies develop and population grows– We need to develop strategies to reduce this impact

• Current policy instruments do not go far enough and fail to address – The potential for pollutant swapping between sectors, sources or N forms– The potential to maximise co-benefits and account for trade-offs between costs and benefits

• Nitrogen is a cross-sectoral problem, with the potential for cross-sectoral win-wins– Climate Change– Biodiversity– Air Pollution from Transport– Water

• Addressing the nitrogen challenge requires integrated, holistic cross-sectoral solutions