Invited Speakers

Hans van Grinsven started research in the field of acid rain focusing on soil and water impacts and modelling. In the nineties his work shifted to agriculture and environment, focusing on nitrogen and phosphorus and policy evaluations. He was involved in evaluations of Dutch implementations of the EU Nitrates Directive, the EU NEC Ammonia Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive. As an offshoot of this work he assessed the scientific foundation of the WHO and EU standard for nitrate in drinking water (50 mg/l) and the implication of nitrate pollution of drinking water for human health in the EU. In the late nineties he also became active in the international integrated nitrogen work, which culminated in the European Nitrogen Assessment in 2011 for which he was a coordinator and author. In this assessment he was a.o. responsible for a first Cost Benefits Assessment of nitrogen for the EU. Along with a shift of focus of PBL, work has now moved towards assessment of current practices and options for sustainable agriculture and food production in the Netherlands and the EU. This raises controversial questions like the optimal livestock that can be accommodated in a country, impacts of fertilizing well below recommendations, how to change diets, and how to increase the efficiency of the food system as a whole.