Mark A. Sutton – författare

This volume provides a unique collection of contributions addressing both the ‘too much’ and ‘too little’ sides of the nitrogen story. Building on analyses started at the 6th International Nitrogen Conference, Kampala, the book explores the idea of ‘just enough nitrogen’: sufficient for sustainable food production, but not so much as to lead to unsustainable pollution and climate problems. The range of nitrogen threats examined, solutions evaluated and science-policy analyses presented here has provided the foundation to agree the ‘Kampala Statement-for-Action on Nitrogen in Africa and Globally,’ as reported in this volume. 

Humanity today faces unprecedented challenges: How to feed a growing population? How to reduce air pollution, water pollution and climate change? How to handle regional differences in an era of increasing globalization? These questions are at the heart of this edited volume which examines the multi-dimensional nature of the global nitrogen challenge.While humans have massively altered the nitrogen cycle, the consequences have become polarized. Some regions have too much nitrogen, associated with pollution and wasteful use of a valuable resource, while other regions have too little nitrogen, leading to constraints on food production and depletion of soil nutrient stocks. 

The volume provides a unique collection of contributions addressing both the ‘too much’ and ‘too little’ sides of the nitrogen story. Building on analyses started at the 6th International Nitrogen Conference, Kampala, the book explores the idea of ‘just enough nitrogen’: sufficient for sustainable food production, but not so much as to lead to unsustainable pollution and climate problems. The range of nitrogen threats examined, solutions evaluated and science-policy analyses presented here has provided the foundation to agree the ‘Kampala Statement-for-Action on Nitrogen in Africa and Globally,’ as reported in this volume. 

Together, the contributions in this book are now informing actions by the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) in working with the United Nations Environment Programme and others to establish the International Nitrogen Management System (INMS). A key outcome has been to catalyse development of the first Resolution on Sustainable Nitrogen Management, as adopted by the fourth UN Environment Assembly (UNEA/EA.4/Res.14).

The work is written for researchers and policy makers and all those interested in seeing how sustainable nitrogen management can contribute to meeting many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

This book examines the costs involved in reducing ammonia emissions from agricultural practices as well as the potential benefits for climate change mitigation. It features contributions by experts in agricultural production processes, producers of agricultural equipment and service providers as well as scientists who assess the issue from an European perspective.

Coverage examines all agricultural production stages starting from animal feed and housing, including the storage and application of liquid and solid manure and of mineral fertilizer. In addition, the book looks at the relationship between ammonia control and greenhouse gas emissions and details the GAINS (Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies) model for estimating costs and reducing ammonia emissions from agriculture. Examples and case studies from select European countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Ireland, and Spain, provide readers with detailed studies of ammonia abatement costs and the effectiveness of implementing control measures under different conditions. This book is the result of an Expert Workshop held under the auspices of the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) and organised by the Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen (TFRN). The findings of this workshop have informed the development of documents supporting the revision of the Gothenburg Protocol and provided researchers and practitioners with vital new data. Bringing together a wealth of key information on the costs of ammonia abatement and the climate co-benefits, this monograph provides readers with deep insight into this complex issue.