ENA Launch 11-15 April 2011

Edinburgh

International Conference

“Nitrogen & Global Change”

www.nine-esf.org/ENA

ENA Authorship 200 experts,

21 countries &

89 organizations

Scientifically independent

process

Nitrogen

in the News

The Sun, Scotsman, Guardian, La Monde, VOK, Nature

14 April 2011

• International TV &

Press Coverage

• ENA summary in

Nature

• ENA 4-minute

video on “Youtube”

Objectives of the

European Nitrogen Assessment

• To review current scientific understanding of nitrogen sources, impacts and interactions across Europe,

• Taking account of current policies and the economic costs and benefits, as a basis to

• Inform the development of future policies at local to global scales.

European Nitrogen policies & future challenges Part E

Water Air Greenhouse Ecosystems Soil

quality quality balance & biodiversity quality Part D

Scaling up of issues through

the European Nitrogen Assessment

Part C

Part B

Nitrogen

processing in the

biosphere

Nitrogen flows

and fate in rural

landscapes

Nitrogen flows

and fate in urban

landscapes.

Nitrogen flows in farming

systems across Europe.

Integrating nitrogen fluxes at the European Scale

Geographic variation in terrestrial

nitrogen budgets across Europe

Atmospheric transport

& deposition of nitrogen

in Europe

Nitrogen flows from

European watersheds to

coastal marine waters

Upscaling &

Integration

Processes &

Mechanisms

The five key threats of excess Nitrogen

The WAGES of

too much nitrogen

Water quality

Air quality

Greenhouse balance

Ecosystems

Soil quality

ECOSYSTEMSAND

BIODIVERSITY

Nitrogen Damage Costs & Sources

Nature 14 April 2011 EU Damage cost: 70 - 320 billion € / year

Summary of N flows in Europe

Humannutrit.

agricult

soils

Livestock

farming

Atmospheric N2 pool

Crop

production

Atm

depos

17.6

7.1

11.8

1.5

2.14.5

2.3

1.0

3.1

Net import of

food & feed

2Crop

N2fix

Fertilizers

11.23.8

NH3,NOx

& N2O

emission

Denitrifi-

cation

N2 fixindust

& traffic3.4

Europe (EU27), around 2000. N fluxes in TgN/yr

Export by

rivers to

the sea

Net atmosph. export

9.3

2.4

3.5

6.84

6

13.8

0.4

4.75.8

3.7

0.8

3.2

0.1

Semi-nat.

soils

Nat N2fix

Wood exp.

Atmospheric NH3, NOx, N2O

wwt

Leaching

& runoff

0.3

2.41.4

0.2

3.8

0.2

0.2

4.7

6

4

3

2

1

5

7

Agriculture 1. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop production

2. Improving nitrogen use efficiency in animal production

3. Increasing the fertilizer N equivalence value of animal manure

Transport and Industry 4. Low-emission combustion and energy-efficient systems

Waste water treatment 5. Recycling nitrogen (and phosphorus) from waste water systems

Societal consumption patterns 6. Energy and transport saving

7. Lowering the human consumption of animal protein

Seven key actions for better

nitrogen management

The Way Forward:

More efficient N use saves farmers money reducing

nitrogen air pollution,

while being needed to meet Parties’ commitments for

climate and water pollution

Protein intake in the Netherlands

Progress in air European policies

Amman, IIASA

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

2000 2020 2000 2020 2000 2020 2000 2020

SO2 NOx PM2.5 VOC

2000 2020

NH3

Em

issio

ns r

ela

tive

to

20

00

Baseline EU Baseline UNECE Max Feasible Reduction EU Max Feasible Reduction UNECE

•In most cases

existing technical

capability for NH3

has yet to be

implemented

•A long-term

perspective

encouraging gradual

change may be

needed

Ammonia the largest contributor to

acidification & eutrophication by 2020

Gothenburg Protocol: Options to

reduce ammonia loss from fertilizers

• Ammonium bicarbonate: ban (since 1999)

• Urea: require low emission methods by e.g. 30%

compared with reference (under negotiation)

– Urease inhibitors

– Coated pellets

– Immediate incorporation

– Substitute with alternative fertilizer

• Ammonium phosphate and sulphate on high pH soils

(under negotiation)

• Focus on improving nitrogen use efficiency helps to reduce

other N losses and impacts.

Slurry spreading methods are key to

reducing ammonia emissions

The “Splash Plate Spreader” represents 1950s technology

The car and the exhaust pipe…

Trailing Shoe Slot Injector

Trailing Hose

Splash Plate

5 priorities for ammonia

in revision of the

UNECE Gothenburg Protocol

(1=highest priority)

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 stores

4. Farm N balance on demonstration farms

5. Low emission new pig & poultry housing

Outlook

• Progress in UNECE and EU negotiations

• Maximizing the policy benefits and the role

of market leaders

• Measuring the benefits of voluntary

approaches

• Linking agricultural, water, air, climate,

biodiversity and soil policies

• Life-cycle stewardship for nitrogen