The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading
Abstract Green infrastructure solutions can improve in-stream water quality in lieu of building electricity-consuming gray infrastructure. Permitted under the United States Clean Water Act, these programs allow regulated utilities to trade point-source water quality obligations with non-point source...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-04-01
|
| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01359-x |
| _version_ | 1797199222635757568 |
|---|---|
| author | Braden J. Limb Jason C. Quinn Alex Johnson Robert B. Sowby Evan Thomas |
| author_facet | Braden J. Limb Jason C. Quinn Alex Johnson Robert B. Sowby Evan Thomas |
| author_sort | Braden J. Limb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Green infrastructure solutions can improve in-stream water quality in lieu of building electricity-consuming gray infrastructure. Permitted under the United States Clean Water Act, these programs allow regulated utilities to trade point-source water quality obligations with non-point source mitigation efforts in the watershed. Carbon financing can provide an incentive for water quality trading. Here we combine data on impaired waters, treatment technologies, and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in the Contiguous United States, and compare traditional treatment technologies to alternative green infrastructure. We find green infrastructure could save $15.6 billion dollars, 21.2 terawatt-hours of electricity, and 29.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year while sequestering over 4.2 million tonnes CO2e per year over a 40 year time horizon. Green infrastructure solutions may have the potential to generate $679 million annually in carbon credit revenue (at $20 per credit), which represents a unique opportunity to help accelerate water quality trading. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T07:12:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dfa559f31ee442699cd732a3887a920e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T07:12:20Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj.art-dfa559f31ee442699cd732a3887a920e2024-04-21T11:31:16ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352024-04-015111210.1038/s43247-024-01359-xThe potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality tradingBraden J. Limb0Jason C. Quinn1Alex Johnson2Robert B. Sowby3Evan Thomas4Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State UniversityMechanical Engineering, Colorado State UniversityMortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience, University of Colorado BoulderDepartment of Civil and Construction Engineering, Brigham Young UniversityMortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience, University of Colorado BoulderAbstract Green infrastructure solutions can improve in-stream water quality in lieu of building electricity-consuming gray infrastructure. Permitted under the United States Clean Water Act, these programs allow regulated utilities to trade point-source water quality obligations with non-point source mitigation efforts in the watershed. Carbon financing can provide an incentive for water quality trading. Here we combine data on impaired waters, treatment technologies, and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in the Contiguous United States, and compare traditional treatment technologies to alternative green infrastructure. We find green infrastructure could save $15.6 billion dollars, 21.2 terawatt-hours of electricity, and 29.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year while sequestering over 4.2 million tonnes CO2e per year over a 40 year time horizon. Green infrastructure solutions may have the potential to generate $679 million annually in carbon credit revenue (at $20 per credit), which represents a unique opportunity to help accelerate water quality trading.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01359-x |
| spellingShingle | Braden J. Limb Jason C. Quinn Alex Johnson Robert B. Sowby Evan Thomas The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading |
| title_full | The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading |
| title_fullStr | The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading |
| title_full_unstemmed | The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading |
| title_short | The potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading |
| title_sort | potential of carbon markets to accelerate green infrastructure based water quality trading |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01359-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bradenjlimb thepotentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT jasoncquinn thepotentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT alexjohnson thepotentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT robertbsowby thepotentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT evanthomas thepotentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT bradenjlimb potentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT jasoncquinn potentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT alexjohnson potentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT robertbsowby potentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading AT evanthomas potentialofcarbonmarketstoaccelerategreeninfrastructurebasedwaterqualitytrading |