Policy Options to Streamline the Carbon Market for Agricultural Nitrous Oxide Emissions

The majority of nitrous oxide emissions- a potent greenhouse gas- are from agricultural sources, particularly nitrogen fertilizer applications. A growing focus on these emission sources has led to the development of carbon offset protocols that could enable payment to farmers for reducing fertilizer use or implementing other nitrogen management strategies. Despite the development of several protocols, the current regional scope is narrow, adoption by farmers is low, and policy implementation of protocols has a significant time lag. Here we utilize existing research and policy structures to propose an “umbrella” approach for nitrogen management greenhouse gas emissions protocols for carbon markets that has the potential to streamline the policy implementation and acceptance of protocols. We suggest that the umbrella protocol could set forth standard definitions common across multiple protocol options, and then “modules” could be further developed as scientific evidence advances. Modules could be developed for specific crops, regions, and practices. We identify a policy process that could facilitate this development in concert with emerging scientific research and conclude by acknowledging potential benefits and limitations of the approach.