This report assesses the main ingredients needed to navigate the transition towards agreed nitrogen sustainability targets.

Global nitrogen losses pose a serious threat to environmental sustainability and compromise the ability of the agricultural sector to feed a growing population. The first ENA Special Report ‘Nitrogen on the Table’ showed how encouraging more plant-based diets canpromote human health and reduce nitrogen emissions. Building on these foundations, the present report  ‘Appetite for Change’ explores pathways towards sustainable nitrogen and food choices.

‘Nitrogen Opportunities for Agriculture, Food & Environment’ is the first ever United Nations Guidance Document on Integrated Sustainable Nitrogen Management. It brings all major forms and impacts of nitrogen together for multiple environmental and economic benefits. The guidance document was published November 2020 by UKCEH. 

The European Commission (DG Environment) and the UNECE Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen (TFRN) recognize that nitrogen is leading to many benefits and threats across the environment and that a joined-up perspective across the nitrogen cycle should offer many co-benefits.

A report ‘N on the Table: The influence of food choices on nitrogen emissions and the European environment’ has been launched at the European Parliament today (12-1-16), in an event hosted by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen. Mark Sutton of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Henk Westhoek of the Netherlands Environment Assessment Agency, PBL attended the launch, and a response was given by Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair UNEP International Resource Panel (IRP).

During a recent meeting at the European Parliament on revision of the National Emissions Ceilings Directive, MEPs asked what is the relationship between mitigation of methane and ammonia emissions.  The attached Policy Brief on Methane and Ammonia Air Pollution has been prepared by the Task Force in response. Overall, measures to reduce these gases go hand-in-hand through links to sector activity.

The tenth meeting of TFRN was held in Lisbon, 29th and 30th April, please visit this link for further details. 

The Task Force (in collaboration with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) has recently printed a Russian language version of the updated Guidance Document on Control Techniques for Preventing and Abating Emissions of Ammonia which was adopted by the Executive Body in 2012. Copies were distributed at the 33rd Session of the Executive Body of the Convention in December and 300 copies have also been sent to Russia for further regional distribution.

A workshop on the revised UNECE Framework Code on Ammonia Emissions is being held in Edinburgh next month. The workshop is being supported by the European Commission and will provide a chance to discuss the current version of the draft code, before it is presented to the Executive Body of the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution for hopeful adoption in December. A draft agenda can be downloaded here.

Links to articles on Nitrogen issues or on the work of TFRN can be found at our new 'N in the News' page.

A new report from the Expert Panel on Nitrogen and Food, of the Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen, quantifies for the first time how much our food choices affect pollutant nitrogen emissions, climate change and land-use across Europe.