The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee has announced it will conclude its inquiry into the efficient use and management of reactive nitrogen by hearing from Defra Ministers Daniel Zeichner MP and Emma Hardy MP.
The session will start at 10am on Thursday 22 May in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster and can be followed live or afterwards on Parliament TV.
Members are likely to ask questions on nitrogen pollution management, environmental regulations, water quality targets and the Clean Air Strategy. The committee’s focus is on England, as most relevant matters are devolved in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Nitrogen pollution has significant public health and environmental impacts: on water quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem health and biodiversity, and soil quality.
Nitrogen (N) is a naturally abundant element with nearly 80% of the Earth’s atmosphere composed of the inert gas di-nitrogen, N2. Over the last century, conversion of N2 into reactive forms has increased significantly through the Haber-Bosch process – primarily for fertiliser production – and the burning of fossil fuels. This has caused unprecedented changes to the global nitrogen cycle.
Giving evidence will be:
Daniel Zeichner MP,
Minister of State, Defra
Emma Hardy MP,
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Water and Flooding), Defra
Emma Donnelly,
Deputy Director for International Nature, Climate and Development, Defra
Dr Bill Parish,
Deputy Director for Air Quality and Industrial Emissions, Defra
