“Enormous amounts of the fertiliser phosphorus are discharged into oceans due to inefficiencies in farming and a failure to recycle wastewater”. Thus warns the United Nations Environment Programme in its 2011 Year Book published on Feb 17. The Year Book recommends a global phosphorus assessment to more precisely map phosphorus flows in the environment and predict levels of economically viable reserves.
“While there are commercially exploitable amounts of phosphate rock in several countries, those with no domestic reserves could be particularly vulnerable in the case of global shortfalls,” the Year Book notes.
UNEP published its 2011 Yearbook on Feb 17 ahead of its annual meeting of Ministers of the Environment on Feb 21.