Nitrogen-related factors drive 38 percent of the variation in global Sustainable Development Goal scores, outranking the influence of climate conditions and socio-economic variables, according to research published in Nature Communications. A team of scientists evaluated dietary nitrogen intake and nitrogen releases into air and water across 166 countries from 2000 to 2022 to measure their relationship with the 2030 targets.
Higher per-capita nitrogen intake showed a positive association with social and economic goals across the surveyed nations. Conversely, nitrogen releases into air and water showed negative associations with environmental milestones. Economic development correlated with improved overall progress toward the goals, though it also coincided with higher dietary nitrogen demand and increased nitrogen losses. Rising temperatures added further pressure on food systems and nitrogen management.
In comparative terms, nitrogen-related factors represented 38 percent of the total variation in goal scores, compared to 34 percent attributed to climatic conditions and 28 percent driven by socio-economic factors. The authors identified nitrogen management as a cross-cutting mechanism linking food security, pollution control, and climate adaptation across diverse national economic contexts.
Research teams conducting the study represent the State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, the College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, the Policy Simulation Laboratory, and the Institute of Fundamental and Transdisciplinary Research at Zhejiang University, alongside the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria. Funding sources included the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China's Ministry of Education, the Frontiers Planet Prize Award, and the European Union under Horizon Europe grant project 101149335-SynCAN-HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01.
