title: Considerations on the importance of nutrition habits for the national nitrogen balance of Austria.
abstract: The anthropogenic nitrogen turnover of Western societies is highly unbalanced. As a consequence, a permanent supply of nitrogen via mineral fertiliser (produced with high energy inputs) and/or imported fodder are required and result in significant impacts of nitrogen emissions on the environment (air, water, soil). Key factors to an improved nitrogen balance on a national scale are the nutrition habits of the population. According to primary calculations a shift from the actual animal-based nutrition to a "healthier nutrition" (mainly characterised by 2/3 vegetable protein supply) would lead to a reduction of needed nitrogen supply as well as of nitrogen emissions to the environment by about one quarter to one third on a national scale. More detailed investigations are required in this respect in order to arrive at more specific conclusions and have commenced by an interdisciplinary team led by the authors.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Water Quality, Resources and Waste Management, Vienna University of Technology, Austria. mzessner@iwag.tuwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zessner
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thaler
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ruzicka
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natho
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kroiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria; D002417:Cattle; D004032:Diet; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D009584:Nitrogen
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen