With support from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Sri Lanka convened a two-day event at which member states came together to adopt what is being called the ‘Colombo Declaration’ with an ambition to halve nitrogen waste by 2030.

While a critical element for building structures of living organisms and an essential element for the survival of all living things, nitrogen overuse has negative impacts on the planet, biodiversity and is a contributor to the climate crisis.

“Humanity’s very existence depends on nitrogen. Over time, we have learned how to harness its power. Pulling nitrogen from the air and fixing it in soil is one reason why the human population has expanded so rapidly. Yet its usefulness has come at a terrible cost. Our failure to use nitrogen efficiently is polluting the land, air and water,” said UNEP deputy executive director Joyce Msuya.

Highlights of the declaration

Environment ministers and officials representing the governments of more than 30 countries endorsed UN plans for a campaign on sustainable nitrogen management called ‘Nitrogen for Life’, which stems from the Sustainable Nitrogen Management Resolution which was adopted during the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly held from March 11 to at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Member states recognised the urgency of addressing nitrogen management in meeting biodiversity goals, while offering huge economic opportunities in reducing reactive nitrogen that is wasted every year, as well as reducing eutrophic zones affecting fishing and tourism industries.

The Colombo Declaration calls upon UN agencies, other international organisations, development partners, philanthropic agencies, academic and civil society organisations to support its implementation.

It further urges countries to conduct a comprehensive assessment on nitrogen cycling covering policy, implementation, regulation and scientific aspects at a national level plus sensitise the citizens to understand the natural nitrogen cycle and how human impacts alter its balance.

The Colombo Declaration has been developed with the technical support of the International Nitrogen Management System (INMS), a joint activity of the UNEP and the International Nitrogen Initiative supported by the Global Environmental Facility.

How is nitrogen hazardous?

The environmental interest in nitrogen (N2), an essential component of the air we breathe, focuses on the conversion of N2 into other chemically reactive forms. Some are vital for life itself and some cause costly and dangerous nitrogen pollution.

“Altogether, humans are producing a cocktail of reactive nitrogen that threatens health, climate and ecosystems, making nitrogen one of the most important pollution issues facing humanity. Yet the scale of the problem remains largely unknown and unacknowledged outside scientific circles,” the 2018-19 Frontiers report warns.

The European Nitrogen Assessment identified five key threats of nitrogen pollution: water quality, air quality, greenhouse gas balance, ecosystems and biodiversity.

Growing demand in the agriculture, transport, industry and energy sectors has led to a sharp growth in the levels of nitrogen pollution and related greenhouse gas emissions. Nitrous oxide (N2O) from industry and combustion, for example, is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

“Human nitrogen additions to the soil, in the form of fertilisers, reinforce the greenhouse effect: around 60 per cent of nitrous oxide is emitted from fertilised fields, manures and other agricultural sources,” says Mahesh Pradhan, a nutrient pollution expert with the UNEP.

Fossil fuel and biomass combustion processes release nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), collectively called NOx.

While major efforts have been made to reduce NOx from vehicles and energy generation, emissions are still escalating in rapidly developing parts of the world. NOx is an indirect greenhouse gas, because the deposition of emitted NOx results in otherwise natural ecosystems emitting more nitrous oxide. 

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store