The Edinburgh Declaration on Reactive Nitrogen. Declaration agrred by participants of the international conference ‘Nitrogen and Global Change’, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 11th to 14th, 2011.
As a key output of the 7th International Nitrogen Conference, delegates agreed upon the Melbourne Declaration on Responsible Nitrogen Management for a Sustainable Future.
Historical trends and levels of nitrogen (N) budgets and emissions to air and water in the European Union and the United States are markedly different. Agro-environmental policy approaches also differ, with emphasis on voluntary or incentive-based schemes in the United States versus a more regulatory approach in the European Union. This paper explores the implications of these differences for attaining long-term policy targets for air and water quality.
Historical trends and levels of nitrogen (N) budgets and emissions to air and water in the European Union and the United States are markedly different. Agro-environmental policy approaches also differ, with emphasis on voluntary or incentive-based schemes in the United States versus a more regulatory approach in the European Union. This paper explores the implications of these differences for attaining long-term policy targets for air and water quality.
The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity. The concept is based on the intrinsic biophysical processes that regulate the stability of the Earth System. This paper revises and updates the framework, based on targeted input from expert research communities and on more general scientific advances over the past 5 years. Two core boundaries have been identified: climate change and biosphere integrity.
The authors explore the potential of sustainable extensification of agriculture by reducing N inputs and livestock densities. A 2030 scenario for the EU27 reducing production and consumption of animal products by 50% (demitarean diet) decreases N pollution by 10%. In Europe, extensification of agriculture is sustainable when combined with adjusted diets, a change to organic farming, and the externalization of environmental costs to food prices.
