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Economic policy instruments for sustainable phosphorus management: taking into account climate and biodiversity targets
Autor: Garske, B.; Ekardt, F.,
In:
Environmental Sciences Europe
Bandangabe: 33:56
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00499-7
Seite: 1 - 20
Jahr: 2021
Einordung:
Institut: Professur Bodenkunde
Abstract:
Background: Phosphorus (P) is a vital and non-substitutable nutrient for agricultural production. However, P is often
used inefficiently in European agriculture. To ensure food security while avoiding environmental damage caused by
improper fertilization, a sustainable P management is required. Although P-related problems are partly addressed by
existing agricultural and environmental legislation, e.g., in the EU, the current regulation lacks sufficient governance
effect. In addition, the existing legal framework is strongly characterized by detailed command-and-control provisions
and thus suffers from governance problems such as enforcement deficits, rebound and shifting effects. This paper
focuses on how these challenges could be addressed by economic instruments. The article highlights not only the
impact of the instruments on P management, but also on adjacent environmental areas. We pay particular attention
to the governance effects on reaching international binding climate and biodiversity objectives, for which fertilization
and agriculture play a major role.
Results: The analysis builds on two economic instruments that ensure compliance with the climate target of the
Paris Agreement and the Aichi targets of the Biodiversity Convention: a cap-and-trade scheme for fossil fuels and a
cap-and-trade scheme for livestock products. We state that both instruments simultaneously address a large part
of P-related problems. Moreover, if the two emissions trading schemes are combined with a livestock-to-land ratio
at farm level, only little need for regulatory supplementation relating to P remains. The latter includes in particular a
threshold value for contaminants in P-containing fertilizers. Furthermore, we discuss an almost complete phasing-out
of fertilizers containing rock phosphate by means of a further certificate trading scheme.
Conclusions: The article shows that a wide variety of problems can be tackled with a few overarching instruments.
This is true even for very specific and diverse problems such as those related to P use in agriculture. Ansprechpartner
Zur Publikation: Mitarbeiter,
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Letzte Änderung des Eintrages:
28.02.2023
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