Lords’ Environment Committee launches nitrogen inquiry

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee has opened an inquiry into efficient nitrogen use.

This will seek to understand how excess reactive nitrogen could be captured and re-used, and potential solutions for reducing nitrogen pollution, with focus on opportunities and challenges across sectors. It will also consider the coordination of government policy on nitrogen across departments and how Government could take a more holistic, strategic approach to nitrogen management.

The Committee explained that nitrogen pollution has significant public health and environmental impacts: on water quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem health, biodiversity, and soil quality. Moreover, that the significant losses of nitrogen to air and water from agriculture, industry, wastewater and transport constitute a wasted resource. It noted: “The UK has a range of targets relating to diverse aspects of nitrogen pollution, but many are reported to be off track in the Office for Environmental Protection’s latest progress report. Policy on nitrogen to date has focused on particular impacts within separate sectors.”

The inquiry has posed the following questions: 

General

1. What are the main sources of nitrogen pollution in the UK? How and why have these changed over time?

2. How could nitrogen pollution be mitigated from relevant sectors, how effective are these approaches, and are there any trade-offs?

3. What solutions and technologies are available to increase nitrogen reuse and recycling, including in agriculture, waste, wastewater, industry, and transport sectors?

4. What future developments could further increase nitrogen pollution, and how could those risks be reduced?

Impacts

1. What are the ecological impacts of nitrogen pollution in the UK and what implications do these have for national environmental and net zero targets?

2. What are the public health impacts of nitrogen pollution and how are these accounted for in current government plans and targets?

3. What are the economic impacts of nitrogen pollution and current nitrogen-mitigation policies, for the public, farmers and other stakeholders?

Government policy and regulation

1. How effective is existing policy at regulating and reducing nitrogen pollution? How could they be improved? Are there gaps?

2. How effective is monitoring and enforcement of nitrogen-related regulations?

3. Does current policy incentivise the capture and reuse of ‘waste’ nitrogen and, if not, what policy changes could support greater reuse of nitrogen?

4. What are the pros and cons of taking a more holistic approach to nitrogen management in policy, and what opportunities to do so exist?

Best practice

1. What examples of best practice relating to monitoring, regulation or management of nitrogen should be considered, including international examples?