Understanding Environmental Markets
Environmental markets serve as an innovative policy approach to reducing the costs of environmental protection. They allow sources with high costs of reducing pollution to purchase equal or greater pollution reductions from sources with lower costs, generating “trades.” Current active and pilot markets exist for greenhouse gasses and other air pollutants, water quality, wetlands, and habitats.
Water Quality Markets
Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Markets
Biodiversity and Habitat Markets
Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)
PES refer to scenarios where those who use ecosystem services provide payments to the providers of ecosystem services. These payments offer incentives to preserve natural systems.
USDA Resources
ERS Report: "The Use of Markets to Increase Private Investment in Environmental Stewardship"
The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP)
Baselines in Environmental Markets
Natural Resources Credit Trading Reference
Ecosystem Services, Markets, and the US FWS
Other Resources
UNEP: Vital Graphics on Payment for Ecosystem Services- Realizing Nature’s Value
Payments for Environmental Services: Some nuts and bolts
Markets for Ecosystem Services: A Potential Tool for Multilateral Environmental Agreements