Almost four decades ago, SCOPE, the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment, launched a major programme on the biogeochemical cycles of the main elements. Over the years, projects—often developed jointly with UNEP—focussed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus as well as some of the trace elements (lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic) and their effects on the food chain, resulting in 17 SCOPE monographs and a number of proceedings volumes. The Major Biogeochemical Cycles and Their Interactions has guided biogeochemical research since its publication in 1983. Interaction of the Major Biogeochemical Cycles: Global Change and Human Impacts revisited the issue twenty years later. Furthermore, SCOPE experts are currently preparing a section on phosphorus and food production for the Emerging Issues chapter of the UNEP Year Book 2011, scheduled for publication in February 2011. SCOPE is also contemplating further studies on integrated nutrient management linked to soil fertility issues, starting in 2011.