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-{% block lead %}Describe how and why you chose your iGEM project.{% endblock %}
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+<h1> NitroBLAST: Laying the foundation for nitrogen fixation.</h1>
+
+<h2> The Nitrogen Crisis in the Netherlands </h2>
+<p>The Netherlands has been facing a pressing environmental crisis for several years: an overwhelming amount of nitrogen oxide and ammonia emissions. 800 million people today remain in a chronic state of hunger <a href="#cite1">[1]</a>. To combat global hunger, an increase in global food production is of the essence. This is addressed through the increase in crop yield, which is possible due to the use of fertilizers, whose production is in turn possible due to the Haber-Bosch process, where elemental nitrogen is converted into ammonia. However, the over-use of these fertilizers have a detrimental effect on the environment through the deposition of excess nitrogen oxides and ammonia in the ground. Over-fertilization and its direct and indirect impact on the environment make agriculture the second leading contributor to short-term increases in global surface temperature <a href="#cite1">[1]</a>. This makes the environment enriched with nutrients promoting uncontrolled plant and algal growth, or eutrophication, a form of nutrient imbalance <a href="#cite2">[2]</a>. This highlights the need of the hour, a solution for increasing global food supply while maintaining environmental standards.</p>
+
+    <p>The nitrogen crisis is largely attributed to the agriculture sector, with over 80% of ammonia emissions coming from manure <a href="#cite3">[3]</a> and chemical fertilizers <a href="#cite4">[4]</a> negatively affecting the local biodiversity. The Nitrogen Action Programme, introduced by the Dutch government in 2015, aimed at reducing nitrogen deposition, was declared insufficient in 2019 by the council of state. This declaration was met with restricting the building of new residential areas, further augmenting the ongoing housing crisis of the Netherlands <a href="#cite3">[3]</a>. In 2022, Dutch agriculture lost 74% (312,000 tons) of the nitrogen it spread as manure and synthetic fertilizer to the air and soil. Synthetic fertilizer production alone is also the cause of nearly 2% of global CO<sub>2</sub> emissions <a href="#cite5">[5]</a>. In addition to water pollution by leakage of nitrate, pollution in the air due to the conversion to N<sub>2</sub>O leads to a global greenhouse effect equivalent to 10% of that caused by the increase in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> <a href="#cite6">[6]</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>For staple crops like cereals and maize, up to 40% of a farm’s operating cost is spent purchasing fertilizer <a href="#cite1">[1]</a>. Rising prices for fertilizer have been one of the problems leading to farmers' protests in Europe, and efforts to reduce nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands have been met with its own wave of protests <a href="#cite7">[7]</a>.</p>
+
+    <p>Over-fertilization poses major ecological and health risks like harmful algal blooms and atmospheric pollution, but fertilizer multiplies crop yield which is essential for the rising global population and food demand. This emphasizes the need for an alternative environmental-friendly solution. This can not only make a huge impact on the Netherlands, but also globally, by enabling a sustainable and food secure future.</p>
+
+    <hr>
+    <h2>References</h2>
+    <ol>
+        <li id="cite1">Jeff Elhai. Engineering of crop plants to facilitate bottom-up innovation: A possible role for broad host-range nitroplasts and neoplasts. 4 2023.</li>
+        <li id="cite2">National Oceanic US Department of Commerce and Atmospheric Administration. What is eutrophication?</li>
+        <li id="cite3">Nitrogen - WUR.</li>
+        <li id="cite4">The nitrogen strategy and the transformation of the rural areas — Nature and biodiversity — Government.nl.</li>
+        <li id="cite5">Toename stikstofoverschot in landbouw door droge zomer 2022 — CBS.</li>
+        <li id="cite6">AR4 Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change — IPCC.</li>
+        <li id="cite7">Protesting farmers close roads and borders in nationwide campaign - DutchNews.nl.</li>
+    </ol>
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       <h4>Bronze Medal Criterion #3</h4>
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     <p>iGEM teams are encouraged to record references you use during the course of your research. They should be posted somewhere on your wiki so that judges and other visitors can see how you thought about your project and what works inspired you.</p>
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