4 reasons why the world needs to reduce nitrogen pollution

4 Reasons why the world needs to reduce nitrogen pollution

Nitrogen is one of the abundant elements in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is the element that makes the sky appear beautiful blue. It also forms the basis of proteins in our bodies and helps with soil fertility. Despite this, excess nitrogen in the environment - due to human activity, such as: the use of industrial fertilisers, the discharge of wastewater, or the burning of fossil fuels - is considered an imminent danger that pollutes all elements of our environment, including land, water and air, and may lead to the exacerbation of the phenomenon of climate change and the depletion of the ozone layer, which has finally begun to recover.

Nitrogen pollution is described in the 2018-2019 Outlook Report of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP); It is one of the most important pollution issues facing humanity.

Leticia Carvalho, Principal Coordinator of the Marine and Freshwater Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme, said: “Nitrogen is an essential nutrient necessary for the survival of all living organisms on Earth, but the world needs to wake up and realize how serious the issues of nitrogen waste are, and realize the opportunities available; So that joint measures can be taken to use this waste sustainably.”

We summarize for you in the following four reasons explaining why humanity needs to reduce nitrogen pollution urgently and decisively? This is to avoid any undesirable consequences in the future.

Nitrogen pollution disrupts life on land and under water

When nitrogen compounds are available in excess of what plants can consume, excess nitrogen seeps into the environment. These compounds often find their way into aquatic ecosystems. Once in these systems, nitrogen can cause the growth rates of toxic algae to rapidly increase, a phenomenon known as algal blooms. These algae deplete oxygen in the water and can create coastal dead zones that affect underwater life.

Nitrogen pollution is one of the most influential global man-made drivers of biodiversity decline, along with greenhouse gas emissions and natural habitat destruction. To confront this, in December 2022, a historic global agreement to protect biodiversity was completed through the activities of the Montreal Biodiversity Conference “COP15”. Let this agreement set goals to reduce pollution from all sources, with the goal that pollutants will not be harmful to life and ecosystems by 2030.

Nitrogen has a major contribution toClimate change

When nitrogen in its active form - as is the case in fertilizers - is exposed to the soil, bacterial reactions occur that release nitrous oxide. This last gas is considered 300 times more powerful in heating the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, and it remains active in the atmosphere for more than 100 years. Add to the above the proliferation of algae in lakes and waterways, and this is - mostly - due to the infiltration of fertilizers into them. It also emits quantities of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).

Another issue is agricultural ammonia emissions, which is a gaseous form of nitrogen, which is emitted into the atmosphere as a result of the production, storage, and use of animal manure, and the widespread dependence on industrial fertilizers. Although ammonia is not a greenhouse gas in itself, when released into the air it acts as a base for emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.

Nitrogen pollution threatens human health

Water containing high levels of nitrates - a form of nitrogen produced by animal waste and plant decay - increases the risk of children developing methemoglobinemia, commonly referred to as “blue baby syndrome,” which can be fatal. High levels of nitrates in drinking water can also increase the risk of cancer among adults.

Ammonia emissions - in addition to their contribution to climate change - are an important driver of air pollution and reduction in air quality. Thus increasing the harmful effects on human health.

Nitrogen waste exhausts the economy

According to the 2018-2019 Outlook Report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme, nitrogen costs the global economy between 340 billion and 3.4 trillion US dollars annually, if we take into account the cost of its impact on human health and ecosystems. Therefore, most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are related to the sustainable management of nitrogen, as experts say: Using this element more efficiently in food production is a key to reducing the excess nitrogen released into the environment.

It is worth noting that last year - at the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly - governments adopted a resolution on sustainable nitrogen management, and although the first United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution on sustainable nitrogen management - adopted at UNEA4 of March 2019 - paved the way for urgent action on nitrogen - this latest resolution is no less importance; It includes ambitious goals and a timetable for achieving them by 2030 and beyond.

To combat the impact of widespread pollution on society, UNEP launched the “Beat Pollution” strategy, which is a strategy for rapid, widespread and coordinated action against air, land and water pollution. The strategy highlights the impact of pollution on climate change, nature degradation, biodiversity loss, and poor human health.