Phosphorus Paradox Scarcityand Overabundance of a Key Nutrient

Lougheed, Tim

doi:10.1289/ehp.119-a208

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…Developing countries are experiencing a different situation and soils sometimes remain deficient in P [MacDonald et al, 2011]. While farmers in poor countries (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa), often with P-deficient soils, cannot afford to access the fertilizer market [Cordell et al, 2009;Lougheed, 2011], in Asian countries, the use of P mineral fertilizer has progressively increased in the past few years [Sattari et al, 2012].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus budget in the water‐agro‐food system at nested scales in two contrasted regions of the world (ASEAN‐8 and EU‐27)

Garnier

Lassaletta

Billen

et al. 2015

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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Phosphorus (P) plays a strategic role in agricultural production as well as in the occurrence of freshwater and marine eutrophication episodes throughout the world. Moreover, the scarcity and uneven distribution of minable P resources is raising concerns about the sustainability of long-term exploitation. In this paper we analyze the P cycle in anthropic systems with an original multiscale approach (world region, country, and large basin scales) in two contrasting world regions representative of different trajectories in socioeconomic development for the 1961-2009 period: Europe (EU-27)/France and the Seine River Basin, and Asia (ASEAN-8)/Vietnam and the Red River Basin. Our approach highlights different trends in the agricultural and food production systems of the two regions. Whereas crop production increased until the 1980s in Europe and France and has stabilized thereafter, in ASEAN-8 and Vietnam it began to increase in the 1980s and it is still rising today. These trends are related to the increasing use of fertilizers, although in European countries the amount of fertilizers sharply decreased after the 1980s. On average, the total P delivered from rivers to the sea is 3 times higher for ASEAN-8 (300 kg P km À2 yr À1) than for EU-27 countries (100 kg P km À2 yr À1) and is twice as high in the Red River (200 kg P km À2 yr À1) than in the Seine River (110 kg P km À2 yr À1), with agricultural losses to water in ASEAN-8 3 times higher than in EU-27. Based on the P flux budgets, this study discusses early warnings and management options according to the particularities of the two world regions, newly integrating the perspective of surface water quality with agricultural issues (fertilizers, crop production, and surplus), food/feed exchanges, and diet, defining the so-called water-agro-food system.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus budget in the water‐agro‐food system at nested scales in two contrasted regions of the world (ASEAN‐8 and EU‐27)

Garnier

Lassaletta

Billen

et al. 2015

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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“…In light of the ongoing debate on the finite nature of phosphorus resources and potential future phosphorus scarcity [1][2][3] , land application of sewage sludge is promoted as one possible way of recycling nutrients and organic material to productive land, and by this means closing nutrient and carbon cycles. However, concerns are raised regarding the risks that land application of sewage sludge poses to human health and the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Including Pathogen Risk in Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Management. 1. Estimating the Burden of Disease Associated with Pathogens

Harder

Heimersson²,

Svanström³

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The environmental performance of wastewater and sewage sludge management is commonly assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA), whereas pathogen risk is evaluated with quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). This study explored the application of QMRA methodology with intent to include pathogen risk in LCA and facilitate a comparison with other potential impacts on human health considered in LCA. Pathogen risk was estimated for a model wastewater treatment system (WWTS) located in an industrialized country and consisting of primary, secondary, and tertiary wastewater treatment, anaerobic sludge digestion, and land application of sewage sludge. The estimation was based on eight previous QMRA studies as well as parameter values taken from the literature. A total pathogen risk (expressed as burden of disease) on the order of 0.2-9 disability-adjusted life years (DALY) per year of operation was estimated for the model WWTS serving 28,600 persons and for the pathogens and exposure pathways included in this study. The comparison of pathogen risk with other potential impacts on human health considered in LCA is detailed in part 2 of this article series.

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“…Central to meeting the water, energy, and food security demands of a growing and more affluent global population is a fundamental P paradox (Lougheed, 2011): first, scarcity of P as a key limiting resource for food and biofuel production; second, overabundance of P entering aquatic systems from agricultural production and food consumption, which impairs water quality, undermines the health of aquatic ecosystems and threatens water security.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Pivotal Role of Phosphorus in a Resilient Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus

et al. 2015

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We make the case that phosphorus (P) is inextricably linked to an increasingly fragile, interconnected, and interdependent nexus of water, energy, and food security and should be managed accordingly. Although there are many other drivers that influence water, energy, and food security, P plays a unique and underrecognized role within the nexus. The P paradox derives from fundamental challenges in meeting water, energy, and food security for a growing global population. We face simultaneous dilemmas of overcoming scarcity of P to sustain terrestrial food and biofuel production and addressing overabundance of P entering aquatic systems, which impairs water quality and aquatic ecosystems and threatens water security. Historical success in redistributing rock phosphate as fertilizer to enable modern feed and food production systems is a grand societal achievement in overcoming inequality. However, using the United States as the main example, we demonstrate how successes in redistribution of P and reorganization of farming systems have broken local P cycles and have inadvertently created instability that threatens resilience within the nexus. Furthermore, recent expansion of the biofuels sector is placing further pressure on P distribution and availability. Despite these challenges, opportunities exist to intensify and expand food and biofuel production through recycling and better management of land and water resources. Ultimately, a strategic approach to sustainable P management can help address the P paradox, minimize tradeoffs, and catalyze synergies to improve resilience among components of the water, energy, and food security nexus.The Pivotal Role of Phosphorus in a Resilient Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus Helen P. Jarvie,* Andrew N. Sharpley, Don Flaten, Peter J. A. Kleinman, Alan Jenkins, and Tarra SimmonsThe Phosphorus Paradox at the Heart of a Converging Water, Energy, and Food Securities ChallengeThe water-energy-food security nexus-the complex interrelationships and interdependencies between three critical resources that underpin human life and civilization-has been identified as one of the greatest challenges for the global economy and sustainable development (World Economic Forum, 2011;Engel and Schaefer, 2013;Olsson, 2013;Perrone and Hornberger, 2014). To date, the role of phosphorus (P) within this nexus has been overlooked. In this "Environmental Issues" contribution, we make the case that P is inextricably linked to an increasingly fragile nexus of water, energy, and food security (Fig. 1). We provide a first assessment of the pivotal role P plays among the often competing demands of food and biofuel production and in safeguarding water quality and security. Phosphorus is an essential element for food and biofuel crop production, but through water quality impairment, P is also a major threat to water security (Elser, 2012;Heathwaite, 2010;Howden et al., 2013;Whitehead et al., 2013). Within the nexus, ecosystem services provide key pillars of support for water, biofuel energy, and food se...

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Phosphorus Paradox Scarcityand Overabundance of a Key Nutrient

Cited by 21 publications

References 16 publications

Phosphorus budget in the water‐agro‐food system at nested scales in two contrasted regions of the world (ASEAN‐8 and EU‐27)

Phosphorus budget in the water‐agro‐food system at nested scales in two contrasted regions of the world (ASEAN‐8 and EU‐27)

Including Pathogen Risk in Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Management. 1. Estimating the Burden of Disease Associated with Pathogens

The Pivotal Role of Phosphorus in a Resilient Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus

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