Environmental Impacts from Food Production

Environmental impacts from food production include greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, nutrient discharges, and resource waste.

The Environmental Impacts from Nitrogen Fertilizer Application: GHG Emissions

For non-leguminous crops such as corn and wheat, synthetic fertilizer typically needs to be applied to attain productive crop yields.

And the manufacture of synthetic nitrogen is an energy intensive process. As such it generates greenhouse gas emissions when fossil fuels are combusted for energy.

So, nitrogen (N₂) is being removed from the atmosphere. And it is ultimately being transferred in harmful levels to various ecosystems in the biosphere.

In summary, the application of nitrogen to soils results in nitrous oxide emissions. And agriculture contributes to some 58% of total anthropogenic N₂O emissions.

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Environmental Impacts from Phosphorus Application: Algae Blooms & Eutrophication

Eutrophication & Algae Blooms

Phosphorus is essential for all living things. It is essential as a fertilizer. It is a non-renewal resource with a limited global supply.

And the application of synthetic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers to soils results in nutrient loaded runoff to waterways, and in eutrophication.

In turn, nutrients induce excessive growth of algae, resulting in oxygen depletion and fish kills.

In addition, nutrients promote the growth of bacteria that in turn produce deadly toxins.

Hence algal blooms can be toxic. Blue-green algae, cyanobacteria, and red tides are examples of harmful algal blooms that can have severe impacts on human health, aquatic ecosystems, the fishing industry, and the economy.

For example, the image illustrated was taken by the Landsat-5 satellite and the image displayed was taken using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite.