http://sols.asu.edu/news/2010/16_news_10.php
Looming declines in phosphorus spark concerns about future food
security and launch new initiative at Arizona State University
The
mineral phosphorus (P) is critical to the creation of bones, teeth and DNA. “P”
is also a key component of the fertilizers used to produce our food, as
critical to agriculture as water. But is P, like oil, peaking? Natural and
social scientists in
Predictions
of P scarcity run the gamut, starting as early as 2034 to as late as 2070 or
beyond. According to ecologist James Elser of Arizona
State University (ASU), most people don’t realize that phosphorus is mined and
that these mines are a limiting resource.
“Our
current use of phosphorus is not sustainable,” Elser
asserts.
Putting
real numbers on predictions for “the biggest problem you’ve never heard of” has
spurred the creation of the “Sustainable P Initiative” at ASU, the first
focused effort in the
The
ASU initiative, to be unveiled on Earth Day, April 22, in partnership with the
Led
by Elser, a Regents’ Professor in the School of Life
Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Mark Edwards, a professor
in the W. P. Carey School of Business; and Daniel Childers, a professor in the
School of Sustainability and researcher in the Global Institute of
Sustainability, the ASU initiative is aimed at motivating change and advancing
the design of new technologies, conservation strategies, recycling measures,
and agricultural and wastewater practices to close the human P cycle.
“Globally,
farmers use more than 17 million tons of mined P on their fields to produce
their crops, at a cost that represents nearly 30 percent of their budget,” says
Edwards, an agribusiness expert.
Nearly
90 percent of the limited geological reserves of P are located in only five
countries:
Rising
energy costs complicate predictions on when mines might run out, as does limited knowledge about the reserves themselves. Donald
Burt, professor of geology with ASU’s
Sustainable
P organizers agree: “The price of phosphate rock rose 400 percent in a recent
14 month period. Current practices are not sustainable for the long term due to
decreasing geologic reserves of P, limited mines and increasing demand for this
nutrient for farming due to population growth, growing affluence and bioenergy production.”
Additional
concerns include inefficient use and overuse of fertilizers and problems with
runoff from urban and agricultural sites, which dumps P into waterways,
creating ecological and economic damage, such as massive coastal “dead zones.”
The
scientists also cite a lack of international organizations, policies, or
regulatory frameworks governing global P resources for food security.
Developing
solutions will be complicated, involving all sectors of public life, points out
life sciences doctoral student, Michelle McCrackin.
For example, she notes in the sustainable P blog
(http://sustainablep.wordpress.com/ ) that there “is an imbalance between the
northern and southern hemispheres with respect to realized societal benefits of
P. Significant amounts of P rock are shipped from mines in Africa to the
northern hemisphere for conversion to fertilizer and application to crops. Yet,
disproportionately little of this P is returned to
Launch
of the Sustainable P Initiative, and subsequent events planned throughout the
year, should bring clarity to such concerns, say
initiative leaders. It should also advance local and regional collaborations
with partners in agriculture, industry, policy, and the public to fend off dire
future scenarios.
“The
solutions are out there. We just need to start thinking now,” Elser says. “Conservation of P is one effective strategy.
In the pathway from mine, to farmer, to fork, and beyond, there is significant
P waste.” For example, ‘waste’ P in urine, feces, and agricultural runoff could
potentially be transformed into a valuable source of fertilizer. A vegetarian
diet would also reduce waste.
The
Earth Day event in Arizona offers the public an opportunity for discussion,
with an “elements and experts” mixer that puts attendees in touch with a range
of subject experts in agribusiness, ecosystem ecology, bioenergy
and wastewater engineering, bioengineering of food crops, agricultural ecology
and biogeochemistry. Hosts include Bruce Rittmann,
Regents’ Professor with the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering; Roberto Gaxiola, an assistant professor in the
Elser, who will speak about “phosphorus, food and our future”
at the launch, is no stranger to P. His internationally recognized work focuses
on the role of key chemical elements, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
He focuses especially on P, with work that ranges from study of effects of
excessive P inputs on lakes to the possible role of P in triggering the
Cambrian explosion to its potential impact on the dynamics of human cancer. His
innovative teaching approaches have impacted more than 12,000 undergraduate
students at ASU, earning him recognition in 2009 from the Parents Association
as “Professor of the Year.” Among other honors, in 2009 he was elected a Fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Members of the public
interested in attending the launch and the “experts and elements” mixer must
RSVP to attend. The launch is sponsored by the Arizona State University Office
of the Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs,
To RSVP, contact margaret.coulombe@asu.edu
or paste: bit.ly/ajl6ld in your browser. Seating is limited.
To learn more about this
initiative or about phosphorus and its impact, visit: http://sustainablep.asu.edu,
P-facts: http://sustainablep.asu.edu/node/37
For more information:
Media Contact:
Margaret Coulombe
(480) 727-8934
margaret.coulombe@asu.edu