We’ve all heard of the carbon footprint – the aggregate greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount of resources used up by oganisations, individuals, events or products. Then there is the Water Footprint that calculates the amount of water that a country or a household uses and there is the Land Footprint that refers to the amount of land utilised by a nation or an organisation or the amount of land required to make a product. A more recent concept is that of the Nitrogen Footprint.

What is the Nitrogen Footprint?

N-Print

N-Print

 

As carbon emissions are measured to assess environmental impacts, the Nitrogen Footprint measures reactive nitrogen emissions, their impact on the environment, on health and on pollution levels. It is also thought that this has many other impacts such as deaths from air pollution, degradation of ecosystems, and even acid rain. Many types of human activity transforms nitrogen into reactive nitrogen to our collective detriment.

According to the N-Print website, reactive nitrogen is essential for food production and is also a by-product of energy consumption. When reactive nitrogen is in excess, it negatively impacts health and the environment. The world’s natural nitrogen cycle started to get disrupted about 150 years ago when more food was needed to feed more people on earth. A critical point was reached in 1909 when hydrogen and nitrogen were combined to create ammonia for fertilizer. Between 1970 and 2008 the world population grew by 78% and reactive nitrogen grew by 120%. More crops capable of transforming nitrogen (N2) into reactive nitrogen were being grown. In effect climate change is being impacted and worsened by the increase of reactive nitrogen.

What does the 2016 Nitrogen Map say?

Effects of Nitrogen

Effects of Nitrogen

The first ever map of the world’s nitrogen footprint was released on 25th January 2016. The nitrogen emissions of 188 countries were measured and the United States, China, India and Brazil were found to be responsible for 46% of the emissions.

Scientists have said that ozone depletion, forest die-back, and increased instances of smog are among the problems caused by more reactive nitrogen in the air and the cascading effect it has on the environment. Reducing fossil fuel emissions, reducing use of nitrogen fertilizers, better management of animal waste, and improving natural nitrogen sinks in wetlands can help restore balance in the atmosphere.

At a personal level we should use less energy intensive foods, goods and services, eat fewer processed foods and stick to the Reduce, Recycle and Reuse formula as much as possible.

 

Author: Reena Daruwalla