To Save the Earth, Better Nitrogen Use on a Hungrier Planet Must be Addressed
New research led by Princeton University shows that more efficient use of nitrogen fertilizers may address both environmental issues and crop production. Today, more than half of the world’s population is nourished by food grown with fertilizers containing synthetic nitrogen, which is needed to produce high crop yields. Plants take the nitrogen they need to grow, and the excess is left in the ground, water and air. This results in significant emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse and ozone depleting gas, and other forms of nitrogen pollution.
 
Agricultural Policy: Govern Our Soils
Every year, 75 billion tons of crop soil are lost worldwide to erosion by wind and water, and through agriculture; this costs about US$400 billion a year. Only a few countries have national legislation protecting soil, including Germany and Switzerland. Attempts at binding international legal agreements have so far failed.  A Global Soil Partnership (GSP) exists, and could implement a voluntary system of global governance. But the GSP needs to develop clear, concrete proposals for action to secure more funding and move forwards.
 
Nevada Researchers Trying to Turn Roadside Weed into Biofuel
Three decades ago, a University of Nevada researcher who obtained one of the first US Energy Department grants to study the potential to turn plants into biofuels became convinced that a roadside weed—curly top gumweed—was growing along the road to the future. Now, scientists who've been cultivating gumweed on the Reno campus think they are on the verge of producing diesel fuel, and perhaps someday jet fuel, from the sticky cousin of the sunflower that grows across much of Nevada's high desert.
 
When National Governments Fail to Halt Climate Change, Can City Action Fill the Gap?
A new report from C40 Cities and Arup is the latest to take a stab at quantifying the climate efforts that cities are making. And they’re impressive. Advocates of city climate action should be immensely proud of this progress. But that doesn’t mean it will help us close the “ambition gap” that will be coming out of Paris. If the UN actually wants to keep global warming below 2°C, then it shouldn’t pin implementation of any Paris agreement to cities. There’s still a chasm to fill, and national governments still need to step up to fill it.
 
Chinese Drone Maker Plows Into Agriculture
China’s SZ DJI Technology Company, the world’s top consumer-drone maker, is setting its sights on the agriculture industry with the launch of a crop sprayer that will test whether farming is fertile ground for drone technology. DJI, which helped kick-start the global craze for drones with its $1,000 easy-to-fly devices, has unveiled an eight-rotor drone priced at roughly $15,000 that is designed to spray pesticides on crops. It can spray pesticides on seven to 10 acres of farmland an hour.