Confronting the nitrogen challenge: Options for governance and target setting. (January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Morseletto, Piero
• Is Part Of: Global environmental change. Volume 54(2019)
• Page Start: 40
• Page End: 49
• Publication Date: 2019-01
• Subjects: Targets -- Excessive anthropogenic nitrogen -- Governing by targets -- Nitrogen governance -- Nitrogen regime -- Evaluation of governance options; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Nature -- Effect of human beings on -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Écologie humaine -- Périodiques; Homme -- Influence sur la nature -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Human ecology; Nature -- Effect of human beings on; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.10.010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3780

Abstract

Highlights: Excessive anthropogenic nitrogen is a global environmental problem. A patchwork of international treaties and institutions governs nitrogen. Contrasting the nitrogen problem can pass through the definition of global targets. Two governance options labelled as 'holistic' and 'origin-based' are investigated. Evaluation is made according to seven criteria. Abstract: The release of excessive anthropogenic nitrogen contributes to global climate change, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of ecosystem services. Despite being an urgent global problem, the excess nitrogen is not governed globally. This paper considers possible governance options for dealing with excessive nitrogen through target setting, which is an approach commonly adopted to address global environmental problems. The articulation of the nitrogen problem and the numerous international institutions dealing with it, provide evidence of a nitrogen regime characterised by limited coordination and targets covering sources and impacts only partially. This calls for improving the nitrogen governance in the direction of more integrated approaches at the global scale. In this vein, the paper investigates two opposite governance options – here labelled as 'holistic' and 'origin-based' – and evaluates them for their capability to define solutions and targets for human-induced nitrogen. From the analysis, it emerges that origin-based solutions can be preferable to holistic solutions as they can be more specific and potentially have greater immediate results. Independent from which governance arrangement is chosen, what matters most is the speed at which an arrangement can deploy solutions to combat (fast-growing) nitrogen pollution.