| 1. |
- Cordell, Dana, et al.
(author)
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Transforming Cities: Securing food and clean waterways through phosphorus governance
- 2017
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In: Transdiciplinary Research and Practice for Sustainability Outcomes. - : Routledge. - 9781138625730 - 9781138119703 - 9781315652184 ; , s. 139-154
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- As an essential input to crop growth via soil reserves or fertilizer, phosphorus underpins global food security. Without phosphorus, food could not be produced, yet phosphorus is mined from fi nite reserves, most of which are controlled by only a few countries1 (UNEP 2011; Jasinski 2015; Cordell and White 2014). Fertilizer prices are likely to increase as fi nite reserves become critically scarce. Globally, a billion farmers and their families cannot access fertilizer markets and many rely on phosphorus-defi cient soils that produce low crop yields (IFPRI 2003). Moreover, mismanagement along the phosphorus supply chain from mine to fi eld to fork has resulted in massive losses and waste, which largely ends up in waterways, causing nutrient pollution and algal blooms (Bennett, Carpenter and Caraco 2001). The global phosphorus challenge is inherently complex; it is as much about international relations as farm soil fertility. It transcends disciplines, sectors, and scales – from geopolitics to ecology to nutrition. In this chapter, we describe and refl ect upon a new project using a novel transdisciplinary approach to address this phosphorus challenge.
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| 2. |
- Iwaniec, David, et al.
(author)
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P-FUTURES: Towards urban food & water security through collaborative design and impact
- 2016
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In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 20, s. 1-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phosphorus is essential to food production, but current management practices fail to ensure equitable access to farmers globally and often results in polluted waterways. There is a lack of local and global governance mechanisms to ensure phosphorus is sustainably managed. The P-FUTURES research initiative aims to address this gap by working with stakeholders to explore visions and pathways of social transformation towards food and water security. In the seed phase of the project, academic, civil, industry, and municipal stakeholders interacted as partners in Blantyre (Malawi), Hanoi (Vietnam), Sydney (Australia), and Phoenix (USA) to collaboratively develop a full proposal and build capacity for transformational change. The article offers guidance on the opportunities and challenges of co-developing a research approach and proposal in a transdisciplinary, international setting.
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| 3. |
- Metson, Genevieve, et al.
(author)
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Mapping phosphorus hotspots in Sydney’s organic wastes: a spatially-explicit inventory to facilitate urban phosphorus recycling
- 2018
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In: Journal of Urban Ecology. - : Oxford University Press. - 2058-5543. ; 4:1, s. 1-19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phosphorus is an essential element for food production whose main global sources are becoming scarce and expensive. Furthermore, losses of phosphorus throughout the food production chain can also cause serious aquatic pollution. Recycling urban organic waste resources high in phosphorus could simultaneously address scarcity concerns for agricultural producers who rely on phosphorus fertilisers, and waste managers seeking to divert waste from landfills to decrease environmental burdens. Recycling phosphorus back to agricultural lands however requires careful logistical planning to maximize benefits and minimize costs, including processing and transportation. The first step towards such analyses is quantifying recycling potential in a spatially explicit way. Here we present such inventories and scenarios for the Greater Sydney Basin’s recyclable phosphorus supply and agricultural demand. In 2011, there was 15 times more phosphorus available in organic waste than agricultural demand for phosphorus in Sydney. Hypothetically, if future city residents shifted to a plant-based diet, eliminated edible food waste, and removed animal production in the Greater Sydney Basin, available phosphorus supply would decrease to 7.25 kt of phosphorus per year, even when accounting for population growth by 2031, and demand would also decrease to 0.40 kt of phosphorus per year. Creating a circular phosphorus economy for Sydney, in all scenarios considered, would require effective recycling strategies which include transport outside of the Greater Sydney Basin. These spatially explicit scenarios can be used as a tool to facilitate stakeholders engagement to identify opportunities and barriers for appropriate organic waste recycling strategies.
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| 4. |
- Metson, Genevieve, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Potential impact of dietary choices on phosphorus recycling and global phosphorus footprints: the case of the average Australian city
- 2016
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In: Frontiers in Nutrition. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-861X. ; 3, s. 1-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Changes in human diets, population increases, farming practices, and globalized food chains have led to dramatic increases in the demand for phosphorus fertilizers. Long-term food security and water quality are, however, threatened by such increased phosphorus consumption, because the world’s main source, phosphate rock, is an increasingly scarce resource. At the same time, losses of phosphorus from farms and cities have caused widespread water pollution. As one of the major factors contributing to increased phosphorus demand, dietary choices can play a key role in changing our resource consumption pathway. Importantly, the effects of dietary choices on phosphorus management are twofold: First, dietary choices affect a person or region’s “phosphorus footprint” – the magnitude of mined phosphate required to meet food demand. Second, dietary choices affect the magnitude of phosphorus content in human excreta and hence the recycling- and pollution-potential of phosphorus in sanitation systems. When considering options and impacts of interventions at the city scale (e.g., potential for recycling), dietary changes may be undervalued as a solution toward phosphorus sustainability. For example, in an average Australian city, a vegetable-based diet could marginally increase phosphorus in human excreta (an 8% increase). However, such a shift could simultaneously dramatically decrease the mined phosphate required to meet the city resident’s annual food demand by 72%. Taking a multi-scalar perspective is therefore key to fully exploring dietary choices as one of the tools for sustainable phosphorus management.
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| 5. |
- Metson, Genevieve, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Urban phosphorus sustainability: Systemically incorporating social, ecological, and technological factors into phosphorus flow analysis
- 2015
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In: Environmental Science and Policy. - : Elsevier. - 1462-9011 .- 1873-6416. ; 47, s. 1-11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phosphorus (P) is an essential fertilizer for agricultural production but is also a potent aquatic pollutant. Current P management fails to adequately address both the issue of food security due to P scarcity and P pollution threats to water bodies. As centers of food consumption and waste production, cities transport and store much P and thus provide important opportunities to improve P management. Substance flow analysis (SFA) is often used to understand urban P cycling and to identify inefficiencies that may be improved on. However, SFAs typically do not examine the factors that drive observed P dynamics. Understanding the social, ecological, and technological context of P stocks and flows is necessary to link urban P management to existing urban priorities and to select local management options that minimize tradeoffs and maximize synergies across priorities. Here, we review P SFA studies in 18 cities, focusing on gaps in the knowledge required to implement P management solutions. We develop a framework to systemically explore the full suite of factors that drive P dynamics in urban systems. By using this framework, scientists and managers can build a better understanding of the drivers of P cycling and improve our ability to address unsustainable P use and waste.
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| 6. |
- Neset, Tina-Simone, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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Visualizing alternative phosphorus scenarios for future food security
- 2016
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In: Frontiers Nutrition. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-861X. ; 47:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The impact of global phosphorus scarcity on food security has increasingly been the focus of scientific studies over the past decade. However, systematic analyses of alternative futures for phosphorus supply and demand throughout the food system are still rare and provide limited inclusion of key stakeholders. Addressing global phosphorus scarcity requires an integrated approach exploring potential demand reduction as well as recycling opportunities. This implies recovering phosphorus from multiple sources, such as food waste, manure, and excreta, as well as exploring novel opportunities to reduce the long-term demand for phosphorus in food production such as changing diets. Presently, there is a lack of stakeholder and scientific consensus around priority measures. To therefore enable exploration of multiple pathways and facilitate a stakeholder dialog on the technical, behavioral, and institutional changes required to meet long-term future phosphorus demand, this paper introduces an interactive web-based tool, designed for visualizing global phosphorus scenarios in real time. The interactive global phosphorus scenario tool builds on several demand and supply side measures that can be selected and manipulated interactively by the user. It provides a platform to facilitate stakeholder dialog to plan for a soft landing and identify a suite of concrete priority options, such as investing in agricultural phosphorus use efficiency, or renewable fertilizers derived from phosphorus recovered from wastewater and food waste, to determine how phosphorus demand to meet future food security could be attained on a global scale in 2040 and 2070. This paper presents four example scenarios, including (1) the potential of full recovery of human excreta, (2) the challenge of a potential increase in non-food phosphorus demand, (3) the potential of decreased animal product consumption, and (4) the potential decrease in phosphorus demand from increased efficiency and yield gains in crop and livestock systems.
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| 7. |
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