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Title:
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Nitrogen footprints: past, present and future
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Author(s):
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Galloway, J.N.; Winiwarter, W.; Leip, A.; Leach, A.M.; Bleeker, A.; Erisman, J.W.
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Environment & Energy Engineering
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18-11-2014
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-W--14-038
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Article (scientific)
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Number of pages:
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14
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Published in: Environmental Research Letters (IOP Publishing), , 2014, Vol.9, p.http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/9/11/115003/-.
Abstract:
The human alteration of the nitrogen cycle has evolved from minimal in the mid-19th century to
extensive in the present time. The consequences to human and environmental health are
significant. While much attention has been given to the extent and impacts of the alteration, little
attention has been given to those entities (i.e., consumers, institutions) that use the resources that
result in extensive reactive nitrogen (Nr) creation. One strategy for assessment is the use of
nitrogen footprint tools. A nitrogen footprint is generally defined as the total amount of Nr
released to the environment as a result of an entity’s consumption patterns. This paper reviews a
number of nitrogen footprint tools (N-Calculator, N-Institution, N-Label, N-Neutrality, NIndicator)
that are designed to provide that attention. It reviews N-footprint tools for consumers
as a function of the country that they live in (N-Calculator, N-Indicator) and the products they
buy (N-Label), for the institutions that people work in and are educated in (N-Institution), and for
events and decision-making regarding offsets (N-Neutrality). N footprint tools provide a
framework for people to make decisions about their resource use and show them how offsets can
be coupled with behavior change to decrease consumer/institution contributions to N-related
problems.
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