Comment on Global Fertilizer Challenge
Ahead of an expected announcement at COP27 on the Global Fertilizer Challenge from the United States, ECIU's Climate and Land lead on what's at stake.
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By George Smeeton
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Commenting on an expected update on the Global Fertilizer Challenge from the United States at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt this Saturday [1], Matt Williams, Climate and Land Programme Lead at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said:
"In the UK over 40% of nitrogen fertiliser doesn't make it to crops, but is lost to the air and to rivers. With the price of the key fertiliser ingredient - gas - continuing to rise, farmers can't afford to waste a drop. In Britain this could cost farmers over £1.1 billion extra. Nor can the climate afford this, with fertilisers making up almost 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We know that these extra farming costs, and climate impacts, cost families too - pushing up UK food bills by over £400 this year.
"Greater fertiliser efficiency - which the US’s Global Fertilizer Challenge is making progress towards, and we’ve seen other countries commit to as well - is a sensible step that can cut farmers’ bills and make sure food and farming get the attention they deserve at COP27. Then, restoring natural soil richness, and switching to low-carbon fertiliser technology, will help cut farmers' bills while helping food production cut its climate impact."
Pawel Kisielewski, CEO CCm Technologies said: “One of the greatest challenges to global decarbonisation is the emissions associated with agriculture, and a huge part of this is fertiliser production. There are now innovations capable of being deployed at commercial scale to tackle this problem. Low carbon fertilisers, like CCm’s, provide a win-win opportunity for Governments to address food insecurity and an over-reliance on gas, while still achieving their net zero targets without having a negative impact on costs for producers and consumers”.
Notes to editors:
1. The US-led Global Fertilizer Challenge is aimed at strengthening food security and reducing agriculture emissions by advancing fertilizer efficiency and alternatives: https://www.fas.usda.gov/newsroom/global-fertilizer-challenge
2. CCm Technologies, formally known as CCm Research, is an award winning cleantech company, focused on resource optimisation, including Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU): https://www.ccmtechnologies.co.uk/about-us
For more information:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net t: +44 (0)7894 571 153 [currently in Egypt for COP27 – please use WhatsApp for urgent calls, or send a text message]