Biblioteca

The Story of Phosphorus
Sustainability implications of global phosphorus scarcity for food security, PhD thesis

The story of phosphorus began with the search for the philosopher’s stone, and centuries later the critical role of phosphorus in soil fertility and crop growth was highlighted. Eventually, phosphorus was implicated in the global environmental challenge of eutrophication. Now, we are on the brink of yet another emerging chapter in the story: global phosphorus scarcity linked to food security. Through a transdisciplinary and systemic inquiry, this thesis has analyzed, reconceptualized and synthesized the physical and institutional dimensions of global phosphorus scarcity in the context of food security, leading to a new framing, ‘phosphorus security’ to guide future work towards a more sustainable and food secure pathway.

Bibliographic information:
Cordell, D. (2010). The Story of Phosphorus - Sustainability implications of global phosphorus scarcity for food security, PhD thesis. Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Linkoeping University Sweden, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

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