Phosphorous, human impact and the environment

 

October 28, 2022

By: Kaitlyn Soto

Figure 1.The relationships between income level and P surplus and between income level and PUE (Zou, et al. 2022)

Phosphorus is a nonrenewable, necessary component for crop growth which is required for feeding the global population. Lack of phosphorous would consequently mean crop and food production would decrease or come to a halt. As the population continuously grows phosphorous is used in higher increments which leads to scarcity concerns. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on budget, use efficiency, challenges, and their solutions (Zou, et al. 2022). Research in the article shows that lower-income countries will have a more challenging time increasing their phosphorus yield whereas middle- and higher-income countries have an easier time (Zou, et al. 2022). While some countries can increase their phosphorus yield, this leaves a negative tradeoff on the environment. An increase in phosphorous allows for crops to grow and adds food for the global population but phosphorus is currently exceeding the proposed planetary boundary. The concerns of phosphorus pollution were hypothesized to be combatted by following a moderate policy ambition and/or a high policy ambition (Zou, et al. 2022).  The article Global Trends of Cropland Phosphorus Use and Sustainability Challenges by Zou, Zhang, and Davidson has advanced sustainability by shedding light on a topic that was not thought of as a high priority and providing solutions to potential issues.


Zou, T., Zhang, X. & Davidson, E.A. Global trends of cropland phosphorus use and sustainability challenges. Nature (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05220-z 

Comments

  1. kristella cabreraOctober 28, 2022 at 10:08 PM

    if mentioned in the article there is a lack of research on the budget what would be some of the solutions that would be beneficial if they had the budget to do so?

    ReplyDelete

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