Relocate 10billion livestock to reduce harmful nitrogen pollution exposure for 90% of China’s population

Here we analyse livestock and human population data across 2,300 Chinese counties to project the impact of alter- native livestock distributions on nitrogen emissions. In 2012 almost half of China’s livestock production occurred in peri-urban regions, exposing 60% of the Chinese population to ammonia emissions exceeding UN guidelines.

Relocating 5 billion animals by 2050 according to crop–livestock integration criteria could reduce nitrogen emissions by two-thirds and halve the number of people exposed to high ammonia emissions. Relocating 10 billion animals away from southern and eastern China could reduce ammonia exposure for 90% of China’s population. Spatial planning can therefore serve as a powerful policy instrument to tackle nitrogen pollution and exposure of humans to ammonia.