N2010 – 5th International Nitrogen Conference

In December 2010, the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI), which was chaired by Cheryl Palm, held the N2010 Conference. The conference was attended by 345 scientists from 36 countries. At the meeting, which was jointly organized with the INI Indian Nitrogen Group, participants discussed the beneficial impacts of nitrogen, especially for food production, and its negative impacts on the environment,  bio-diversity and ecosystem services, and human health. The conference noted that that substantial progress had been made over the past several years  in many areas, including 1) reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides, 2) linking nitrogen and carbon cycles, 3) establishing the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM), 4) planning for regional nitrogen assessments, and 5) developing communication tools, such as the nitrogen footprint calculator. The conference also resulted in the Delhi Declaration on Reactive Nitrogen Management for Sustainable Development, which highlights key areas of concern for science and policy. The declaration and other information on INI activities are available on the project’s website.