Continuing population and consumption growth will mean that the global demand for food will increase for at least another 40 years. Growing competition for land, water, and energy, in addition to the overexploitation of fisheries, will affect our ability to produce food, as will the urgent requirement to reduce the impact of the food system on the environment.
China is the world's largest user of synthetic fertilizer, consuming 36% of the global total. As a result, China's farmers have exceeded soil needs, causing nitrates to accumulate and create serious pollution problems. And the hunger for nitrogen has added to China's energy and greenhouse gas emissions: In the atmosphere, those nitrates form nitrous oxide, a potent warming gas.
Precision agriculture comprises a set of technologies that combines sensors, information systems, enhanced machinery, and informed management to optimize production by accounting for variability and uncertainties within agricultural systems.
Food security is a growing concern worldwide. More than 1 billion people are estimated to lack sufficient dietary energy availability, and at least twice that number suffer micronutrient deficiencies. Because indicators inform action, much current research focuses on improving food insecurity measurement.
In the early 1970s, scientists warned that anthropogenic chemicals containing chlorine (Cl) would lead to destruction of stratospheric ozone (O3), the protective veil that reduces the amount of harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that reach the Earth
Climatologists use model-based 'scenarios' to provide plausible descriptions of how the future might unfold when evaluating uncertainty about the effects of human actions on climate. The traditional method of establishing these scenarios was a time-consuming sequential process, each discipline taking turns to add data and complexity.
As calls for reform intensify following recent furores about e-mails, conflicts of interest, glaciers and extreme weather, five climatologists propose ways forward for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
