Landscape variability and impacts of ammonia in relation to the Habitats Directive - Mark Sutton CEH Edinburgh ALTERNET Summer School, Peyresq ...
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Landscape variability and impacts
of ammonia in relation to
the Habitats Directive
Mark Sutton
CEH Edinburgh
ALTERNET Summer School,
Peyresq, France, 10 Sept 2010
729
UNECE
Ammonia: You need to know!
• The most important thing in the cosmos…
• Sal ammoniac & the fire caves of Central Asia
• nūshādur = navasara = nao sha 硇 砂
• Sogdian: nwš’t’r
• The stuff of life
N Some secrets revealed in:
Ammonia in the Envnt: From Ancient times to the Present
H H Environ. Pollution 2008.
H
Newton’s experiments with alchemy ~1680
I sublimed & ana.
Of this sublimate I
took an ounce & 1/2
an ounce of tiate
& sublimed them.
.. there arose a little salt
like which … had
a sweetish tast.
Sal ammoniac
ana Antimony ore
tiate Lead antimonate
The Haber Century 1908-2008
• The fossil nitrogen economy
– Dead carbon & nitrogen: CO2 N2
• Fertilizer and military needs for N
Fritz Haber
• Haber-Bosch: 200 atmos; 450-500 ºC
N2 (g) + 3 H2 (g) 2 NH3 (g)
• Patented 1908 by Fritz Haber
• Commercialized by Carl Bosch
• Basis of the 20thC ‘green revolution’ Carl Bosch
Ammonia feeds the world
7000 world population
50
fertilizer input, meat production
6000
World population (millions)
world population (no Haber N)
% world population,
5000 40 % world popn fed by Haber N
4000 30 average fertilizer input (kg N / ha /year)
3000 meat production (kg / person / year)
20
2000
10
1000
0 0
1900 1950 2000
Erisman, Sutton, Galloway, Klimont & Winiwarter
Nature Geoscience 2008
The problem • Ammonia not just a force for good • Released into the environment it leads to a web of environmental impacts • Food and farming play a central role.
The new polluters!
Animal manures are main sources of NH3 emission
.
700 NH3 emission from animal manure systems in EU-27 in 2000, Gg N
600 grazing
storage
500 application
housing
400
300
200
100
0
Dairy cattle Other cattle Pigs Poultry Other
Livestock
Plus 10% from fertilizers + 10% from other sources
Oenema et al., 2008
Global N production & dispersion
Human Nr 60
Production: 30
10
(Tg yr-1) 9
1860: 15 8
7
1995: 156 6
5
2005: 191 4
3
2
2005 sources: 1
Haber Bosch: 121 0.75
0.5
Biol N fixn: 45 0.25
0.1
NOx emission: 25 Atmospheric
AtmosphericNr
Nrdeposition
deposition (mg
-2
(mgNNmm-2year
-1
year-1) ) 0
Galloway et al. Science (15 May 2008)
Ammonia in the atmosphere
Dispersion Reactions in Long-range transport
in the the in the atmosphere as
atmosphere atmosphere particles
NH3 NH3 as Wet deposition of
Particles
emission a gas NH4+ and NH3
containing
NH4+
Dry
deposition
Agricultural activities Ecological impactsAtmospheric N2 Nitrous Oxide
fixed to reactive (N2O)
nitrogen (NR)
Nitrogen oxides Ammonium nitrate
(NOx) in rain (NH4NO3)
NR
Further emission
Fertilizer
Ammonia of NOx & N2O
manufacture NR (NH3) carrying on
the cascade
Crops for food &
animal feed
The
Livestock farming
Nitrogen Natural ecosystems
Cascade Leached Nitrate
(NO3-) Nitrate in
Streamwaters
Abatement may swap one pollutant for another in the nitrogen cascadeEffects of ammonia on the
environmentAmmonium nitrate contributes substantially
to particulate matter (PM) concentrations
• Reduced visibility
• Human heath
impacts
Satellite NH3 column Parma, Emilia Romagna, Italy
Clarisse et al. Nature Geoscience 2009Nitrogen reduces the abundance of
woodland flowers
Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella)
Lost at the expense of:
Velvet grass (Holcus lanatus)Regional Up-Scaling up ammonia fluxes
FRAME model & UK Network
Dominant
NH3 sources
Gaseous Aerosol
NH3 NH4+NitroEurope Level 1 Network
Dealing with spatial scale
European exceedances
of the critical load
for nitrogen
Ecosystem protection National targets
and policyImplications of landscape level variability • Nature areas near farms are more at risk • Edges of woodland areas at high risk (the bits that are seen) • The exeedance is so massive that there is no way that realistic national emission strategies will avoid impacts of ammonia
What should get the priority? • We need food – so surely we can’t close down all the farms? • Do we demand a pristine environment everywhere or are some losses acceptable? • Should we move from blanket “common misery” abatement to spatially targetted approaches? (→winners & losers) • If we cannot protect everywhere, how do we prioritize what should be protected?
Importance of the Habitats Directive • A series of designated sites across Europe (Natura 2000): – Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) (Ecosystems) – Special Protection Areas (SPAs) (Birds) • EU envisage a high level of protection. • Precautionary principle applied
Article 6 (3) Any plan or project not directly connected with or necessary to the management of the site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, shall be subject to appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in view of the site's conservation objectives. In the light of the conclusions of the assessment of the implications for the site and subject to the provisions of paragraph 4, the competent national authorities shall agree to the plan or project only after having ascertained that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the site concerned and, if appropriate, after having obtained the opinion of the general public.
Application to air pollution and ammonia
• Implications for remote developments
• High degree of uncertainty
• Where doubt – then a plan should be
refused (unless “overriding public interest”)
• If ‘critical loads’ already exceeded (~15 kg
N ha-1 year-1), what is a significant amount
of extra N deposition? 0, 1, 10 kg?
Workshop “Nitrogen deposition & Natura 2000:
Science and Practice in determining environmental impacts”
729
Brussels, May 2009Landscape planning for ammonia & nitrogen mitigation
Four-way benefit of trees
in spatial planning for ammonia
3. Improved dispersion
away from farm
Direction of Wind
2. Recapture of NH3 30%
on the farm
1. Sheltering 15%
Reduces
Emissions Nature Reserve
30% 80%
Ammonia sources
4. Recapture of NH3
from livestock under treesDesigning woodland buffer zones
Scenario of tree
• Choice of trees, canopy planting around
two SACs
structure and planting area
to maximize direct benefits
• Consideration of other
benefits
– Screening effect round farms
– Biodiversity in farm
woodlands
– Increase in “core area” of
existing reserves
– Buffering for aquatic pollutants
Dragosits et al. Environ. Sci. & Policy 2006
and EC Environment News ServiceAmmonia Policy
Case Studies
Examples on the SMALL scaleExample 1: Public Planning Enquiry
“The Barn”, Three Legged Cross
• Farmer wanted to start a free range chicken farm in Dorset
• Tiny “environmentallly friendly” farm (only 2500 chickens)
• But: farm right next to a Special Area of Conservation
(SAC) heathland designated under the Habitats Directive.
• Farming is not considered “development”, but he needed
planning permission for a house to live there.
• First ‘public enquiry’ test of ammonia impacts in the UK
Therefore wider implications.The Stakeholders In favour – Farmer – Farmer’s agents – Farmers lawyer Against – East Dorset District Council: Planning Authority – English Nature (national body responsible for Natura2000) – Lawyer of Council and English Nature – Neighbours – Former Girlfriend… Other personal positions – Joint Nature Conservation Committee (UK body) – Scientific expert
Holt & West Moors SSSI, Three-Legged Cross
Public Planning Enquiry
Application:
•New poultry farm
Issues:
•SSSI part of cSAC
•Ammonia deposition
•Nitrate leachingAt issue: The Farmer’s view • Wants a house and a business • Argues that any ammonia issue is a red herring, as permission only needed for the building not the chickens • Even if ammonia is relevant, argues that the farm is too small to have an effect with only 2500 chicken (some farms have >500,000 birds) • Argues that, with good practice, emissions are negligible anyway.
At issue: English Nature’s view • The building and farm activity have to be considered as a whole, as he would only get permission in this area as “accommodation for an agricultural worker” • The heathland is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – the EU Habitats Directive affords this the highest level of protection. • Before permission can be granted under the Habitat Regulations: it must be demonstrated that there would be no adverse effect (onus of proof on the farmer) • The scientific evidence suggests that there would be negative effects of ammonia emissions on the heathland.
My evidence • Expert witness for English Nature and the local council – The job is to report scientific understanding rather than to campaign for either agriculture or environment. • I described the emission, dispersion and deposition process to the English Nature barrister and was then cross-examined. • I gave expert judgement of “possible” effects 300 m into the SAC, and “probable” effects 50 m into the SAC. • I applied a screening model (SCAIL), which suggested an extra 15 kg N deposition /hectare/year from the farm . • My expectation was that lichens and other healthand plants would be lost, which are “designated features” of the SAC.
Decision on the Public Inquiry • Your view? • The Inspector upheld English Nature and the Council’s views completely: – Link between house and the farm – Effects of ammonia are real – Regulation 6 (3) of the Directive: he had to refuse it.
Moninea Bog,
Northern Ireland
(10) (15)
Ammonia concentrations (8) (13)
(16, 17)
(6)
(18)
(19)
(19b)
(20)
(21)
(5)
showing SAC boundaries
(1) (2) (22)Site 1
Polytrichum moss
Lichen: Cladonia uncialis
Lichen: Cladonia portentosa Site 17
Bog moss
Sphagnum imbricatum
Ammonia Policy Development at the European scale
A new UNECE critical level for ammonia Old : 8 g m-3 New: 1 g m-3 Exceeded over 85% of England & 60% of UK Sulphur dioxide largely gone. Ammonia is the major air pollution driver of lichen biodiversity. “Atmospheric Ammonia” Springer 2009
UNECE and revision of the
“Gothenburg Protocol”
• Established a new ‘Task Force on Reactive
Nitrogen’ (TFRN).
• Tasked with providing options of varying
ambition for mandatory measures on ammonia.
• Engagement with policy makers in Geneva:
“Working Group on Strategies and Review”
• Providing workable measures to which the Parties
can sign up.The success of European ammonia policies
Emissions relative to 2000 120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2000 2020 2000 2020 2000 2020 2000 2020 2000 2020
SO 2 NO x PM2.5 NH 3 VOC
Baseline EU Baseline UNECE
Max Feasible Reduction EU Max Feasible Reduction UNECE
Amman, IIASASector Activity Farm Holding
(e.g. cattle) (e.g. animal housing) Size Class
A framework Is a mandatory requirement No
technically feasible & does it
Propose a ‘discretionary
mandatory’ requirement
for developing match to this ambition level?
Yes
mandatory options Propose a mandatory
requirement
on ammonia Consider the suite of technologies
suitable to this ambition level
(Specified in the Guidance Doc)
Propose the average target % Consider if BAT has been
reduction to be achieved in this defined and is appropriate
option (check in Guidance Doc) be specified as a requirement
Does the % target require Yes Propose technically
exemptions on grounds of suitable exemptions that
feasibility or ambition level? match this ambition level
No
Does the ambition level Yes Propose a delayed
require to allow gradual implementation date that
change in the sector? matches the ambition level
No
Propose whether the option
TFRN is preparing Does the ambition level reflect Yes
applies to all farm or only
new and rebuilt farms only?
several dishes with the No
to new and rebuilt farms
menu of options Does the ambition level Propose the specification
Yes
match to the sale of standards for
of new equipment only? sale of new equipmentSlurry spreading methods are key to
reducing ammonia emissions
The “Splash Plate Spreader” represents 1950s technologyToday, there are a wide range of low ammonia emission
techniques available
Trailing Shoe Trailing Hose
Slot Injector Drag-hose injector
The car and the exhaust pipe…Animal manures are main sources of NH3 emission
.
700 NH3 emission from animal manure systems in EU-27 in 2000, Gg N
600 grazing
storage
500 application
housing
400
300
200
100
0
Dairy cattle Other cattle Pigs Poultry Other
Livestock
Plus 10% from fertilizers + 10% from other sources
Oenema et al., 2008Emissions of N pollutants and
estimates of unit damage costs
European Nitrogen Assessment in Press
Plus UNECE CLRTAP-WGSR-47 documentsSocial damage of nitrogen pollution in
EU27 in 2000
200
N 2 O -N
N O x-N
150
Cost EU27 (billion euro)
N H 3 -N
N -ru n o ff
100
50
0
lo w h ig h lo w h ig h lo w h ig h
H u m a n H e a lth E c o s ys te m C lim a teConclusions: Ammonia problems • In 2020 ammonia the largest contributor to acidification, eutrophication and particulate matter • Current ammonia abatement is small compared with other sectors: more effort is required. • Given costs and spatial variability, it is not feasible to protect all European ecosystems, while maintaining a viable livestock sector.
Conclusions: Ammonia and Strategies • Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are the logical priority for biodiversity protection • Need an integrated view of the N cycle, linking agricultural NH3, N2O and NO3- losses (inc. acidification, eutrophication & PM). • Better coordination of NECD, Kyoto, Nitrates Directive/WFD and CBD • UN-ECE Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen – Contributing to Gothenburg Protocol revision – Developing the integrated vision
Costs of mitigating ammonia emission • Huge variation in estimated costs of implementing the measures • GAINS model of IIASA: useful tool, but contains high estimates. 1 euro/kg N to 1000 euro /k N abated. • Most are not yet counting the co-benefits: reducing N inputs and other N pollutant losses. • TFRN Costs Workshop: October 25-27, Paris.
Ammonia and Nitrogen Foodprints
What can you do for carbon?
– Use less fuel…
What can you do to for nitrogen?
– Eat less meet…
WHO recommendations
– Do you eat more meat than recommended by WHO?
– Reducing intake could benefit your health and the
environment.
– UNECE Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen launches the
“Expert Panel on Nitrogen and Food” (Nov 2009)Ammonia
It we would remember it:
The most important substance in the cosmosYou can also read
