Drivers of global nitrogen emissions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15549777 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Arunima Malik (0000-0002-4630-9869, The University of Sydney, corresponding author), Azusa Oita (0000-0002-1876-2033, The University of Sydney), Emily Shaw (0000-0002-0870-8842, The University of Sydney), Mengyu Li (0000-0002-6791-1170, The University of Sydney, corresponding author), Panittra Ninpanit (Australian National University), Vibhuti Nandel (University of Groningen), Jun Lan (0000-0003-1967-8375, The University of Sydney), Manfred Lenzen (0000-0002-0828-5288, The University of Sydney) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 015006-015006 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-08 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ac413c |
| OpenAlex | W4200195573 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 64 |
Nitrogen is crucial for sustaining life. However, excessive reactive nitrogen (Nr) in the form of ammonia, nitrates, nitrogen oxides or nitrous oxides affects the quality of water, air and soil, resulting in human health risks. This study aims to assess the drivers of Nr emissions by analysing six determinants: nitrogen efficiency (Nr emissions per unit of production), production recipe (inter-sectoral dependencies), final demand composition (consumption baskets of households), final demand destination (consumption vs. investment balance), affluence (final consumption per capita) and population. To this end, we construct a detailed multi-regional input-output database featuring data on international trade between 186 countries to undertake a global structural decomposition analysis of a change in global Nr emissions from 1997 to 2017. Our analysis shows that nitrogen efficiency has improved over the assessed time-period, however affluence, final demand destination and population growth have resulted in an overall increase in Nr emissions. We provide a global perspective of the drivers of nitrogen emissions at a detailed country level, and breakdown the change in emissions into contribution from domestic footprint and rest-of-world footprint. We highlight that food production coupled with growing international trade is increasing Nr emissions worldwide
Agricultural economics · Consumption (sociology · Economics · Environmental protection · Greenhouse gas · Investment (military · Natural resource economics · Nitrogen · Per capita · Population · Production (economics · Reactive nitrogen · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Chemistry · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth · Environmental Impact and Sustainability · Environmental Science · Ecology
A nitrogen footprint model to help consumers understand their role in nitrogen losses to the environment
Scientists’ warning on affluence
Comparing structural decomposition analysis and index
Environmental and social footprints of international trade
Structural Decomposition Techniques
The Nitrogen Cascade
Food and feed trade as a driver in the global nitrogen cycle
Substantial nitrogen pollution embedded in international trade
The Global MRIO Lab – charting the world economy
Food consumption trends and drivers
Nitrogen Cycles
The implications of trade liberalization for diet and health
The nitrogen decade
Piling up reactive nitrogen and declining nitrogen use efficiency in Pakistan
Nitrogen footprints
Hot spots of opportunity for improved cropland nitrogen management across the United States
Accounting for nitrogen in Denmark—a structural decomposition analysis
Trade and the role of non-food commodities for global eutrophication
Gaps and opportunities in nitrogen pollution policies around the world
Current and future nitrous oxide emissions from African agriculture
N-related greenhouse gases in North America
Decreasing labor intensity in agriculture and the accessibility of major cities shape the rural population decline in postsocialist Russia
Agroecosystems, Nitrogen-use Efficiency, and Nitrogen Management
Nitrogen footprints
Reactive Nitrogen and The World
Nitrogen and Food Production
Reflections on 200 years of Nitrogen, 20 years later
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |