IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/mtu/wpaper/15_07.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Nitrogen Trading in Lake Taupo: An Analysis and Evaluation of an Innovative Water Management Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Madeline Duhon

    (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research)

  • Suzi Kerr

    (Motu Economic and Public Policy Research)

Abstract

This paper provides an overview and early evaluation of the Lake Taupo nitrogen cap and trade programme, established as part of Waikato Regional Council’s 2011 Regional Plan Variation Five. The policy establishes a catchment-wide cap on nitrogen losses by allocating farmers individual nitrogen discharge allowances and allowing those farmers flexibility to trade allowances amongst themselves and to sell allowances to a public fund while remaining within the overall catchment cap. The Taupo trading scheme is the world’s first agricultural non-point-source water-quality cap and trade scheme. This paper explains the structure and evolution of the nitrogen trading market, and analyses its impact thus far. Research drawn from written material and descriptive quantitative data provides the basis for analysing the policy, while interviews with relevant stakeholders provide insight into the successful, surprising and contentious issues that arose throughout its development and implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Madeline Duhon & Suzi Kerr, 2015. "Nitrogen Trading in Lake Taupo: An Analysis and Evaluation of an Innovative Water Management Policy," Working Papers 15_07, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:mtu:wpaper:15_07
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://motu-www.motu.org.nz/wpapers/15_07.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Montgomery, W. David, 1972. "Markets in licenses and efficient pollution control programs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 395-418, December.
    2. Richard T. Woodward, 2003. "Lessons about Effluent Trading from a Single Trade," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 25(1), pages 235-245.
    3. Anastasiadis, Simon & Kerr, Suzi, 2012. "Mitigation and Heterogeneity in Management Practices on New Zealand Dairy Farms," 2012 Conference, August 31, 2012, Nelson, New Zealand 136039, New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    4. Hugh McDonald & Suzi Kerr, 2011. "Trading Efficiency in Water Quality Trading Markets: An Assessment of Trade-Offs," Working Papers 11_15, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    5. King, Dennis M., 2005. "Crunch Time for Water Quality Trading," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 20(01), pages 1-5.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Spicer, E. Anne & Swaffield, Simon & Moore, Kevin, 2021. "Agricultural land use management responses to a cap and trade regime for water quality in Lake Taupo catchment, New Zealand," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Daigneault, Adam & Greenhalgh, Suzie & Samarasinghe, Oshadhi, 2017. "Equitably slicing the pie: Water policy and allocation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 449-459.
    3. Karen Bayne & Alan Renwick, 2021. "Beyond Sustainable Intensification: Transitioning Primary Sectors through Reconfiguring Land-Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    4. Gebiaw T. Ayele & Bofu Yu & David P. Hamilton, 2023. "Land Use and Climate Change Effects on Streamflow and Nutrient Loads in a Temperate Catchment: A Simulation Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Hansen, Line Block & Termansen, Mette & Hasler, Berit, 2017. "Effectiveness Of Markets In Nitrogen Abatement: A Danish Case Study," 2017 International Congress, August 28-September 1, 2017, Parma, Italy 260887, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Suzi Kerr, 2016. "Agricultural Emissions Mitigation in New Zealand: Answers to Questions from the Parliamentary Commisioner for the Environment," Working Papers 16_16, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    7. Syezlin Hasan & Line Block Hansen & James C. R. Smart & Berit Hasler & Mette Termansen, 2022. "Tradeable Nitrogen Abatement Practices for Diffuse Agricultural Emissions: A ‘Smart Market’ Approach," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(1), pages 29-63, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Suzi Kerr, 2013. "Managing Risks and Tradeoffs Using Water Markets," Working Papers 13_13, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    2. Catherine L. Kling, 2011. "Economic Incentives to Improve Water Quality in Agricultural Landscapes: Some New Variations on Old Ideas," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 93(2), pages 297-309.
    3. Andrew Manale & Cynthia Morgan & Glenn Sheriff & David Simpson, 2011. "Offset markets for nutrient and sediment discharges in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Policy tradeoffs and potential steps forward," NCEE Working Paper Series 201105, National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised Aug 2011.
    4. Caplan, Arthur J. & Sasaki, Yuya, 2014. "Benchmarking an optimal pattern of pollution trading: The case of Cub River, Utah," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 502-510.
    5. Greenhalgh, Suzie & Selman, Mindy, 2012. "Comparing Water Quality Trading Programs: What Lessons Are There To Learn?," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 42(2), pages 1-22.
    6. McDonald, Hugh J. & Kennedy, Marianna & Ngawhika, Simon & Kerr, Suzi, 2010. "Trading efficiency in water quality markets," 2010 Conference, August 26-27, 2010, Nelson, New Zealand 96949, New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    7. Zhao, Tianli & Sado, Yukako & Boisvert, Richard N. & Poe, Gregory L., 2009. "“Open Markets” v. “Structured Bilateral Trades”: Results of Economic Modeling of Point-to-Point Source Water Quality Trading in the Non-Tidal Passaic River Basin," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49509, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Estelle Cantillon & Aurélie Slechten, 2024. "Market Design for the Environment," NBER Chapters, in: New Directions in Market Design, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Arthur J. Caplan & Yuya Sasaki, 2009. "Matching Traders in a Pollution Market: The Case of Cub River, Utah," Working Papers 2009-08, Utah State University, Department of Economics.
    10. Hugh McDonald & Suzi Kerr, 2011. "Trading Efficiency in Water Quality Trading Markets: An Assessment of Trade-Offs," Working Papers 11_15, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    11. Frans P. Vries & Nick Hanley, 2016. "Incentive-Based Policy Design for Pollution Control and Biodiversity Conservation: A Review," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 63(4), pages 687-702, April.
    12. Vidar Christiansen & Stephen Smith, 2012. "Externality‐Correcting Taxes and Regulation," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 114(2), pages 358-383, June.
    13. Lawrence H. Goulder, 2013. "Markets for Pollution Allowances: What Are the (New) Lessons?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(1), pages 87-102, Winter.
    14. Veith, Stefan & Werner, Jörg R. & Zimmermann, Jochen, 2009. "Capital market response to emission rights returns: Evidence from the European power sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 605-613, July.
    15. Stavins, Robert, 2001. "Lessons From the American Experiment With Market-Based Environmental Policies," RFF Working Paper Series dp-01-53, Resources for the Future.
    16. Chao-Ning Liao, 2009. "Technology adoption decisions under a mixed regulatory system of tradable permits and air pollution fees for the control of Total Suspended Particulates in Taiwan," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 135-153, April.
    17. Berta, Nathalie, 2015. "Prix versus quantités : les contorsions du marché du carbone européen," Revue de la Régulation - Capitalisme, institutions, pouvoirs, Association Recherche et Régulation, vol. 18.
    18. Thierry Bréchet & Philippe Michel, 2007. "Environmental performance and equilibrium," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(4), pages 1078-1099, November.
    19. Chung, Sung H. & Weaver, Robert D. & Friesz, Terry L., 2013. "Strategic response to pollution taxes in supply chain networks: Dynamic, spatial, and organizational dimensions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 231(2), pages 314-327.
    20. Liu, Beibei & He, Pan & Zhang, Bing & Bi, Jun, 2012. "Impacts of alternative allowance allocation methods under a cap-and-trade program in power sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 405-415.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Water quality; water trading; water management; policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C69 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Other
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mtu:wpaper:15_07. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Maxine Watene (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/motuenz.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.