Environmental Cost Accounting of Chemical Fertilizer Utilization in China

The authors estimated the environmental cost of utilization of chemical fertilizers in China, by means of emergy analysis (EMA) and disability adjusted life years (DALY). Results revealed that the environmental cost of fertilizer utilization in China was considerable: (1) the total costs in the year of 2005 reached Y18.8 billions, accounting for about 1.5% of the increment of the value added of farm in the same year; (2) the annual cost growth rates averaged 7.1% in the period of 1990~2005, and fortunately, the rate is decreasing remarkably in the 21st century; and (3) provinces, more developed in economy, are also regions more intensively under fertilization environmental impact.