{"id":5146,"date":"2019-03-06T13:21:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T01:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/new-zealand\/?p=5146"},"modified":"2025-05-16T07:48:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:48:21","slug":"why-care-about-nitrogen-ask-the-un","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/press-release\/why-care-about-nitrogen-ask-the-un\/","title":{"rendered":"Why care about Nitrogen? Ask the United Nations"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United Nations has placed Nitrogen pollution on a hit list of the top five new environmental crises facing the globe.<\/p>\n

A move which has huge implications for New Zealand and intensive dairy farming in particular.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace campaigner Gen Toop says \u201cthis new report should be all the Government needs to take action on the biggest nitrogen polluters in New Zealand – industrial dairying and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UN\u2019s Frontiers 2018\/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern<\/a> report explores five of the most significant emerging issues on the environment.<\/p>\n

It names nitrogen pollution \u201cone of the most important issues facing humanity today\u201d calling for \u201curgent action from nations around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report highlights that the mass production of nitrogen-based fertilisers has transformed farming and is now causing \u201cinterference with the Earth\u2019s nitrogen balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenpeace is renewing calls for a ban on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and a radical transformation of the agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far this Government has sat on its hands and allowed the agricultural industry off the hook on every front – whether it\u2019s river pollution, destruction of fragile landscapes like the Mackenzie or taking responsibility for their increasing climate emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toop says global reports like this simply cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire farming sector must undergo far reaching and fundamental change and it needs to start now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report compiles a chilling list of consequences from increasing nitrogen pollution, including freshwater pollution, algal blooms, oceanic dead zones, ozone depletion, soil degradation, death of wildlife and increasing nitrous oxide emissions.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace says here in New Zealand evidence shows nitrate pollution in waterways and agricultural climate emissions both continue to worsen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last few decades in New Zealand synthetic nitrogen use has increased seven-fold and dairy cow numbers have doubled, \u201dsays Toop.<\/p>\n

\u201dToo many cows and too much synthetic nitrogen fertiliser are killing our rivers, polluting the climate, degrading soils, pushing wildlife towards extinction and endangering human health.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Ministry for the Environment, the largest sources of nitrogen pollution into New Zealand\u2019s rivers, in order of magnitude, are: urine from dairy cattle; urine from sheep: and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.<\/p>\n

As well as polluting the environment directly, synthetic nitrogen fertiliser has also caused the increase in nitrogen pollution from livestock urine by enabling higher stocking rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government must completely ban synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, drastically reduce cow numbers and invest millions into regenerative farming,\u201d says Toop.<\/p>\n

Regenerative farming methods have been proven to produce the same amount of food, and retain farmer profitability without using any synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

Greenpeace petition calling on the Government to ban synthetic fertiliser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Frontiers 2018\/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern report <\/a> (PDF)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Greenpeace billboard naming Synthetic Nitrogen Companies<\/p><\/div>\n

Block content is empty. Check the block’s settings or remove it.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United Nations has placed Nitrogen pollution on a hit list of the top five new environmental crises facing the globe. 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