More than any other aspect of the climate crisis, it is the over-production of carbon dioxide that has been valued. But nitrogen and its abundant use in commercial fertilizer, also leads to air pollution and climate change. Evidence suggests their use also contributes to air pollution, increases the rates of cancer and reduces biodiversity, as well as releasing gas (laughing gas).

But nitrogen helps feed around half the world’s population and remains essential for the foreseeable future. With prices of fertilizer rising, many developing countries don’t have access to it, with resulting threats to food security. The global nitrogen challenge involves both reducing fertilizer use, and getting it to where it’s needed most.

A team of scientists has come up with a five-step plan to solve this two-sided problem. Benjamin Houlton, the leader, explains that only by undertaking a holistic approach and combining solutions can the problem be solved on both levels.

The five steps identified involve changing agricultural practices, getting fertilizer to the places it’s needed, reducing nitrogen pollution and finally, both reducing food waste and promoting a change in diet. The latter two are essential because approximately one-quarter of all global food produced is wasted along the supply chain, which means that a large portion of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops is ultimately wasted.

Benjamin admits that adding nitrogen to the list of existing climate woes might cause a sense of exhaustion. Nevertheless, he has an encouraging message. “The truth is, nitrogen is a blessing and a curse,” he says, “But if you can reduce the spill-overs of nitrogen, you can quickly get systems to return to a more original state. That makes it very different from CO₂. We lock in 30 to 50 years of climate impacts every time we send out a molecule of CO₂ into the air. But with nitrogen you can get immediate returns on investment.”