How a century of ammonia synthesis changed the world

Erisman, J. W.; Sutton, Mark A.; Galloway, James N.; Klimont, Zbigniew; Winiwarter, Wilfried

doi:10.1038/ngeo325

Cited by 3,329 publications

(2,368 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…But its products do not, for instance, consider other impacts such as the risks of air and water pollution associated with the use of nitrogen fertilizers 6 .…”

Section: Broad Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global change: Put people at the centre of global risk management

Brasseur

Ciais²,

Eekeren

et al. 2015

Nature

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“…But its products do not, for instance, consider other impacts such as the risks of air and water pollution associated with the use of nitrogen fertilizers 6 .…”

Section: Broad Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global change: Put people at the centre of global risk management

Brasseur

Ciais²,

Eekeren

et al. 2015

Nature

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“…Had the increases in yield of the last 60-70 years not been achieved, almost three times more land would have been required to produce crops to sustain the present population; this is land that simply does not exist or that is unsuitable for cropping (5) . So intensification has been essential, but has resulted in many undesirable outcomes, including air, water and soil pollution (17) with agrochemicals and surplus nutrients, increased climate forcing (18) , resources depletion (19) , high fossil energy inputs (14) and habitat/biodiversity loss (11) . During the past century, then, while agricultural area expansion has continued, the emphasis for increasing food production has shifted towards intensification, i.e.…”

Section: Proceedings Of the Nutrition Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Malthus is still wrong: we can feed a world of 9–10 billion, but only by reducing food demand

Smith

2014

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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In 1798, Thomas Robert Malthus published ‘An essay on the principle of population’ in which he concluded that: ‘The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race.’ Over the following century he was criticised for underestimating the potential for scientific and technological innovation to provide positive change. Since then, he has been proved wrong, with a number of papers published during the past few decades pointing out why he has been proved wrong so many times. In the present paper, I briefly review the main changes in food production in the past that have allowed us to continue to meet ever growing demand for food, and I examine the possibility of these same innovations delivering food security in the future. On the basis of recent studies, I conclude that technological innovation can no longer be relied upon to prove Malthus wrong as we strive to feed 9–10 billion people by 2050. Unless we are prepared to accept a wide range of significant, undesirable environmental consequences, technology alone cannot provide food security in 2050. Food demand, particularly the demand for livestock products, will need to be managed if we are to continue to prove Malthus wrong into the future.

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“…Erisman et al (2008) estimated that in 2005 approximately 100 Mt synthesized nitrogen was used in global agriculture, but only 17 Mt nitrogen was consumed by humans in crop, dairy and meat products, the rest ending up dispersed in the environment. Furthermore, 12% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide are related to agriculture (Smith et al 2007) with 38% coming from the use of organic and mineral fertilizers alone (Wegner and Theuvsen 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the light of the above statements, a more careful and rational use of nitrogen fertilizers in particular would be a win-win solution, being of agronomical, economical, and environmental benefit (Vitousek et al 1997, Erisman et al 2008.…”

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confidence: 99%

Eco-innovations in the German fertilizer supply chain: Impact on the carbon footprint of fertilizers

Hasler¹,

Bröring²,

Omta³

et al. 2017

Plant Soil Environ.

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The aim of this paper is to analyse to what extent the existing eco-innovations in the German fertilizer domain might reduce the fertilizer carbon footprint without compromising on crop productivity. The continuously growing demand for agricultural products will require a further increase in agricultural production mostly achieved with additional external inputs (fossil energy, pesticides, irrigation water and fertilizers). Fertilizer in general and nitrogen fertilizers in particular are major factors for yield increases in crop production. On the other hand, emissions of greenhouse gases play a dominant role in the debate on the environmental burden of fertilizers. Typical mineral fertilizers were compared with so-called stabilized nitrogen fertilizers and secondary raw material fertilizers in this study. Additionally, an effect of the combination of irrigation with fertilization (i.e. fertigation) was investigated. With an adopted life cycle assessment approach focusing on CO<sub>2</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>O emission, the carbon footprints of the different fertilizer options were considered. The calculations showed that especially the use of stabilized nitrogen fertilizer reduced the fertilization-related carbon footprint up to 13%. However, because of higher costs or incomplete supply chain relationships, adoption of these innovations is expected to be rather limited in the near future. Fertilizers made from secondary raw materials resulted in similar carbon footprints as mineral ones, but they can help to close nutrient cycles and use by-products of other production processes.

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How a century of ammonia synthesis changed the world

Cited by 3,329 publications

References 17 publications

Global change: Put people at the centre of global risk management

Global change: Put people at the centre of global risk management

Malthus is still wrong: we can feed a world of 9–10 billion, but only by reducing food demand

Eco-innovations in the German fertilizer supply chain: Impact on the carbon footprint of fertilizers

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