A Critical Review of the Effectiveness of Policies to Reduce Nitrogen Fertilizer Pollution

Abstract

<p>The increasing global population and consequent growing demand for food are causing more nitrogen (N) fertilizer to be used in agricultural industries. Although using N fertilizer significantly increases global food production, excessive application of N fertilizer pollutes the natural environment, contributes to the global stocks of greenhouse gases and global warming, and poses threats to human health. Governments worldwide have tried a range of policies to reduce these negative impacts of N fertilizers. There are few studies about the effectiveness of these policies. In this paper, a systematic review of the literature was done. Published findings about the effectiveness of policies that have been used or proposed to reduce pollution from N fertilizer have been summarized and synthesized. This information can help inform policymakers and enable them to assess better and measure the effectiveness of policies to reduce N fertilizer pollution. This would increase the chances of effective policies being adopted.</p>