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2025-07-25
The official website for N2026 has been launched.
2025-07-XX
The official website for N2026 has been launched.
In the early 20th century, the development of ammonia synthesis from atmospheric dinitrogen enabled large-scale production of reactive nitrogen—nitrogen compounds other than dinitrogen—using ammonia as a key precursor. This breakthrough laid the foundation for widespread fertilizer production, which has boosted global food production and supported rapid population growth. Beyond agriculture, reactive nitrogen has become essential in various industrial applications. More recently, ammonia has attracted attention as a carbon-free fuel for decarbonizing energy systems.

However, the overall nitrogen use efficiency in human systems remains low—only about 20% across the entire system—leading to substantial reactive nitrogen losses to the environment. These losses cause climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, air pollution, water pollution, eutrophication, and acidification. This dual nature of nitrogen—being both essential and harmful—is known as the “nitrogen issue.” Addressing it requires sustainable nitrogen management strategies that reduce nitrogen pollution while preserving nitrogen’s benefits.

10th International Nitrogen Conference (N2026) aims to foster global collaboration under the theme “Sustainable Nitrogen Management for Future Generations.” While coordination between science and policy is critical, addressing the nitrogen issue demands the engagement of all stakeholders—governments, researchers, industry, educators, civil society, and the public. We warmly invite a wide range of participants from around the world—across disciplines, sectors, and regions—who share a common interest in building a sustainable future. The conference will serve as an inclusive platform to share knowledge, align actions, and co-create the Kyoto Declaration, a collective roadmap toward sustainable nitrogen management.

Okoshiyasu – welcome to Kyoto, Japan!
It is our great honor and pleasure to host 10th International Nitrogen Conference (N2026) together with the International Nitrogen Initiative, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan and the Science Council of Japan (planned). As Chair of the N2026 Organizing Committee, I warmly invite you to participate in the conference under the theme, “Sustainable Nitrogen Management for Future Generations.”

Humanity has long benefited from reactive nitrogen derived from the abundant atmospheric dinitrogen by means of artificial fixation technology to create ammonia. The fixed nitrogen has played a vital role in agriculture as fertilizers and in various industrial applications. More recently, attention has turned to their potential use as energy sources. However, our nitrogen uses including fuel-based energy system have led to the release of large amounts of reactive nitrogen into the environment, resulting in widespread nitrogen pollution. This is what we refer to as the “nitrogen issue.”

To address this issue, we must find ways to manage nitrogen that retain its benefits while minimizing its environmental risks through approaches that are sustainable and do not compromise the well-being of future generations. Solving the nitrogen issue requires not only science-based policy, but also the involvement and commitment of a wide range of stakeholders. Consumers, as you are one of them, play a critical role towards sustainable consumption. N2026 aims to serve as a platform where diverse stakeholders can gather and discuss the future of sustainable nitrogen management.

The conference will be held in Kyoto, a historic city known for its harmonious blend of nature, culture, and tradition. The venue, the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto), is a symbolic location remembered as the site of the UNFCCC COP3 in 1997 where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. We sincerely hope that N2026 will be a meaningful opportunity to draw a concrete roadmap toward sustainable nitrogen management, considering not only present needs but also the interests of future generations.

We look forward to engaging discussions with all of you at N2026!

Kentaro Hayashi

Chair, N2026 Organizing Committee
Director, INI East Asia Centre
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature

On behalf of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI), I am delighted to welcome you to 10th International Nitrogen Conference (N2026), to be held in Kyoto, Japan, in November 2026. Since INI’s founding over two decades ago, these conferences have been a defining feature of our mission — serving as global forums for advancing science, fostering collaboration, and engaging a broad community committed to more sustainable nitrogen management.

What makes the INI conferences truly unique are their extraordinary breadth. These are not narrowly focused scientific meetings, but dynamic gatherings that reflect the full spectrum of nitrogen-relevant topics: from agriculture to energy, climate to biodiversity, public health to economics. Over time, the conferences have also increasingly embraced the vital contributions of the social sciences and humanities, recognizing that managing nitrogen more effectively is as much a societal challenge as a technical one.

Our conferences have long provided a platform not only for presenting cutting-edge research, but also for meaningful dialogue with policymakers, international organizations, farmer groups, the private sector and civil society. With the release of major policy-relevant scientific assessments—including the Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment (2024) and the forthcoming International Nitrogen Assessment—and with the recent launch of the International Nitrogen Network (iN-Net), funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, N2026 comes at a pivotal moment. We look forward to building on INI’s role as a convener and catalyst, helping to translate interdisciplinary research into effective policy and action.

We’re excited to continue this journey together—and to welcome you to Kyoto.

See you there!

David R. Kanter

Chair, International Nitrogen Initiative
New York University