Nitrogen interventions as a key to better health

The Earth’s nitrogen cycle is one of the planetary boundaries most severely exceeded. Agricultural production and the combustion of fossil fuels release nitrogen pollutants such as ammonia (NH₃), nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) that contribute to air pollution and damage ecosystems. These pollutants harm human health, crops and ecosystems. With increasing global energy and food demands, this damage is expected to increase.

The potential of technologies and strategies to reduce nitrogen pollution – so-called ‘nitrogen interventions’ – to improve air quality and reduce impacts on ecosystems is not yet well understood. There is a gap between traditional nitrogen budget research, which tracks nitrogen fluxes in air, water and soil but does not provide details on biogeochemical transformations, and geoscience research, which models these transformations but usually focuses on a single environmental medium.

To address this knowledge gap, an international research team combined multidisciplinary methods to investigate how nitrogen interventions could improve air quality and reduce nitrogen deposition. Their study, published in Scientific advancesfound that actions such as improving fuel combustion conditions, increasing agricultural nitrogen use efficiency, and reducing food losses and waste could significantly reduce premature deaths due to air pollution, crop losses, and ecosystem risks. Although nitrogen management is usually considered for individual objectives such as air or water quality, recognizing the broader co-benefits of nitrogen management is critical for future policy-making and effective pollution control.

“We developed an integrated assessment framework that combines future nitrogen policy scenarios with integrated assessment models, air quality models and dose-response relationships to assess how ambitious policies can reduce air pollution and ecosystem degradation at a detailed geographic scale,” explains lead author Yixin Guo, a postdoctoral fellow jointly appointed by Peking University and IIASA.

The study shows that ambitious nitrogen measures by 2050 could reduce global ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 and 52 percent respectively from 2015 levels. This would reduce air pollution, prevent 817,000 premature deaths, lower ground-level ozone concentrations and reduce crop losses. Without these measures, environmental damage will worsen by 2050, with Africa and Asia being hit hardest. However, if these measures are implemented, Africa and Asia would benefit the most.

“We found that nitrogen interventions provide increasing benefits over time, with impacts larger by 2050 than by 2030. The largest reductions in ammonia and nitrogen oxides are expected in East and South Asia, mainly through improved farming practices and the use of new technologies in industry. These reductions will help reduce air pollution, making it easier for many regions to meet the World Health Organization’s interim targets. In addition, as populations grow, the health benefits of these interventions will increase, especially in developing areas,” Yixin adds.

“Our results underscore that nitrogen interventions can significantly contribute to achieving several SDGs, including good health and well-being (SDG3), zero hunger (SDG2), responsible consumption and production (SDG12) and life on land (SDG15),” says Lin Zhang, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceania Sciences at Peking University.

“This joint research shows how IIASA’s research can be implemented globally. Solutions to environmental impacts will vary across regions, allowing for tailored policy recommendations even for complex problems such as nitrogen pollution,” concludes Wilfried Winiwarter, co-author of the study and senior researcher in the Pollution Management Research Group of the IIASA Energy, Climate and Environment Program.

Reference:

Guo Y., Zhao H., Winiwarter W., Chang J., Wang X., Zhou M., Havlik P., Leclere D., Pan D., Kanter D., Zhang L. (2024) Ambitious nitrogen interventions accelerate air pollution control and ecosystem protection. Scientific advanceshttps://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ado0112.

Researcher contacts:

Yixin Guo
Postdoctoral fellow between Peking University and IIASA
Currently assistant professor with tenure track at the Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Thrust at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)
[email protected]

Changfeng Jinfeng
Visiting Scientist
Integrated Biosphere Future Research Group
Biodiversity and Natural Resources Programme
[email protected]

Wilfried Winiwarter
Senior Research Scientist
Pollution Management Research Group
Energy, Climate and Environment Programme
[email protected]

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IIASA Press Office
Phone: +43 2236 807 282
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About IIASA:

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international scientific institute addressing the critical questions of global environmental, economic, technological and social change that we face in the 21st century. Our findings provide policymakers with valuable options for shaping the future of our changing world. IIASA is independent and funded by prestigious research funding agencies in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe.