5. Manage the nitrogen cycle – the nitrogen cycle is important because of its central role in the production of food and it is where the chemistry of the earth and life come together. Plants extract nitrogen from the earth and air to make food. Controlling the impact of agriculture on the global cycle of nitrogen is a big challenge for sustainable development. Human activity has doubled the amount of nitrogen over levels that were present before the Industrial Revolution; this is seen by sciences to be a disruption of the nitrogen cycle.
