Nitrogen is the quiet force behind one of humanity’s greatest achievements—and one of its most dangerous environmental problems. The element is essential for proteins, DNA and plant growth, yet the modern world has transformed enormous quantities of atmospheric nitrogen into fertilizers, industrial chemicals and pollution. A new study by Zhou, Zhang, Zou and colleagues, published in Nature Communications, examines how nitrogen management could influence progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, linking a single element to global challenges ranging from hunger and public health to climate change, water quality and ecosystem protection.
The research addresses a difficult question: how much nitrogen is needed to support human development, and when does nitrogen use begin to undermine the very goals it is meant to advance? Although nitrogen makes up roughly 78 percent of Earth’s atmosphere, most plants and animals cannot use atmospheric nitrogen directly. It must first be converted into biologically available forms, such as ammonium and nitrate. Industrial fertilizer production, especially through the Haber–Bosch process, has made it possible to grow far more food than would otherwise be possible. But this extraordinary expansion has also created a global nitrogen imbalance, with large amounts escaping farms, factories and cities into the atmosphere and waterways.
The study’s central contribution is to quantify nitrogen’s role across multiple Sustainable Development Goals rather than treating fertilizer solely as an agricultural input or pollutant. Nitrogen can help advance food security by increasing crop yields, support poverty reduction by strengthening rural production and contribute to economic development through industrial and agricultural activity. At the same time, excess nitrogen can intensify harmful algal blooms, contaminate drinking water, generate fine particulate matter and contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions. The same chemical element can therefore function as a nutrient, an economic resource and a pollutant, depending on where it is used and how effectively it is retained.
That tension is especially visible in agriculture. Crops absorb only part of the nitrogen applied to fields. The remainder may be lost as ammonia, nitrous oxide, nitrate or dissolved organic nitrogen. Ammonia can react in the atmosphere to form particulate pollution, while nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas with a long atmospheric lifetime. Nitrate can move through soil into groundwater and rivers, eventually reaching coastal zones where nutrient over-enrichment can trigger oxygen depletion. These pathways are connected: a kilogram of nitrogen lost from a farm does not simply disappear; it may move through air, soil and water, affecting climate, human health and biodiversity in different locations.
By placing these pathways within the Sustainable Development Goals framework, the authors highlight why nitrogen policy cannot be designed around a single outcome. Increasing fertilizer access may improve harvests in regions where nutrients are scarce, but applying more fertilizer in already intensive systems can produce diminishing agricultural returns while increasing environmental damage. Conversely, reducing nitrogen losses does not necessarily mean reducing food production. Better timing, improved placement, precision application, crop rotations, biological nitrogen fixation and the recovery of nutrients from manure and wastewater can all increase what scientists call nitrogen-use efficiency—the proportion of applied nitrogen that ultimately supports desired production.
The study is part of a wider scientific shift toward viewing nitrogen as a global systems issue. Nitrogen circulates through farms, cities, oceans and the atmosphere, crossing national borders and connecting decisions made by consumers, producers and governments. Meat and dairy production, for example, influences nitrogen demand because animal feed must be grown and because livestock manure can release reactive nitrogen. Urban wastewater is another major pathway: sewage contains valuable nutrients, but conventional treatment often removes nitrogen at an energy cost rather than recovering it for reuse. Technologies that capture nitrogen from wastewater, recycle organic wastes and reduce losses across supply chains could turn pollution into a resource.
The implications extend beyond climate and food. Nitrogen pollution is associated with respiratory health risks through the formation of fine particles, while nitrate contamination can threaten drinking-water safety. In lakes, rivers and coastal waters, excessive nutrient loading can alter species composition, reduce oxygen levels and create conditions hostile to fish and other aquatic organisms. Nitrogen deposition from the atmosphere can also change forests, grasslands and other ecosystems adapted to low-nutrient conditions. By connecting these effects to development targets, the research presents nitrogen management as a potential lever for achieving several goals simultaneously—provided that interventions are tailored to local conditions rather than imposed as a universal solution.
The challenge is political as much as technical. Regions facing undernutrition and low farm productivity may need greater access to nitrogen fertilizers, while heavily fertilized regions may need strict controls on losses and stronger incentives for efficiency. A global nitrogen strategy would therefore have to distinguish between nitrogen scarcity and nitrogen excess, while accounting for trade, consumption and unequal responsibility for pollution. The authors’ analysis reinforces the idea that progress should be measured not only by how much nitrogen enters an economy, but also by how much food, income and human well-being is produced per unit of nitrogen, and how much environmental harm is generated along the way.
For the public, the message is both alarming and hopeful. Nitrogen pollution is widespread, but it is not inevitable. Farmers can use digital tools, soil testing and improved management to match applications more closely to crop demand. Industries can reduce emissions and recover nitrogen from waste streams. Governments can coordinate fertilizer policy, water-quality standards, food systems and climate plans instead of managing them in isolation. Consumers also influence the nitrogen cycle through dietary choices and food waste. The study by Zhou and colleagues makes clear that meeting global development ambitions will require more than producing additional nitrogen or restricting it outright. The decisive goal is to use nitrogen intelligently: enough to nourish people and economies, but not so much that the excess destabilizes the planet’s climate, waters and living systems.
Subject of Research: Nitrogen’s role in achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals
Article Title: Quantifying the role of nitrogen in achieving global Sustainable Development Goals
Article References: Zhou, Y., Zhang, X., Zou, Y. et al. Quantifying the role of nitrogen in achieving global Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Communications (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76777-w
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76777-w
Keywords: Nitrogen cycle, Sustainable Development Goals, nitrogen use efficiency, agriculture, food security, climate change, water pollution, biodiversity, public health, nutrient management
