The Informer Issue number 1208 sub heading ‘Nitrogen’ I explained that above every hectare on the planet there is 78,000 tons of nitrogen available to the soil provided the biological activity is in condition in the soil to harvest this free already spread and available nitrogen from the atmosphere.
Some of my figures I had underestimated – I stated the use of nitrogen had risen from 59,000 tons in 1959 to 452,000 tons in 2019. At present, New Zealand imports 500,000 tons and produces 265,000 tons meaning that New Zealand farmers are spending M$765,000,000 at current prices on something nature is providing for free.
Once the soil is activated the nitrogen is free for the taking. The Waikato Regional Council and all of the Local Government agencies know that there is far too much nitrogen damaging the fresh water in New Zealand (Waikato River is a classic) and they collectively know that man-made nitrogen breaks down the carbon in the soil causing more havoc to the water ways. There are now three critical issues 1. The breakdown and loss of carbon from the soil. 2. The release of nitrogen into the water to stimulate weed growth. 3. Local Government tries to control the weeds with poison without any success, adding to the calamity.
A dramatic turn of events
An Australian Company plans to spend three billion dollars to build a nitrogen production factory in Southland. The factory will be able to produce 1.5 million tons of nitrogen fertiliser. The announcement is accompanied by the usual ‘care of the environment’ and so on and the good news is there will be no need to import more nitrogen into New Zealand. It will also provide much needed employment for Southland people who are already plagued with excess nitrogen in the ground water there and in Canterbury.
For the last ten years, we have been exhorted to lower the NZ wide ‘Carbon Footprint’ that has been causing climate change, raising sea levels, with more storms with more floods and droughts. This is all blamed on rising CO2 levels. To lower the CO2 levels, millions of pine trees have been planted uprooting rural life including small towns with slash causing flooding and bridge destruction. The message in no uncertain terms; ‘lower the carbon footprint.’ To produce this nitrogen which is not needed, if New Zealanders studied soil biology, the factory is going to use ‘lignite’, a type of coal readily available in Southland. The lignite is of course buried ‘carbon’ harmless where it is but NZers are going to dig it up, put it into the atmosphere to produce something not needed and cause more environmental destruction for nothing.
