The Transgression of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary. What is Germany's Internal and External Contribution?

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Table of content
• Index of Abbreviations
• 1 The Planetary Boundary framework and the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary
  • 1.1 The Planetary Boundary framework
  • 1.2 The Planetary Nitrogen Boundary
    • 1.2.1 Foundation of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary
    • 1.2.2 Definition and quantification of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary
• 2 Introduction
  • 2.1 Current literature
  • 2.2 Operationalization of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary for Germany
  • 2.3 Opportunities vs. critique
    • 2.3.1 Boundaries for production based Nr
    • 2.3.2 Boundaries for consumption based Nr
    • 2.3.3 Summary
• 3 Germany's internal and external contribution to the transgression of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary
  • 3.1 Research questions
  • 3.2 Research design
  • 3.3 Method
    • 3.3.1 Indicator
    • 3.3.2 Accounting principles and terminology
    • 3.3.3 MRIO analysis
    • 3.3.4 Legume BNF
    • 3.3.5 Downscaling the PB N and assessing the transgression
  • 3.4 Data
  • 3.5 Results
  • 3.6 Discussion
• Literature
• Annex A

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This research aims to evaluate Germany's contribution to the transgression of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary through its internal and external nitrogen use, focusing on the consumption-based perspective. The study utilizes an environmentally-extended multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis to track nitrogen fertilizer use throughout international supply chains in 2007. By comparing consumption-based and production-based values, the study investigates Germany's role as a net-importing country of embodied nitrogen fertilizer use.

• Transgression of the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary
• Nitrogen Fertilizer Use and Consumption
• Consumption-Based Environmental Accounting
• International Supply Chains and Embodied Nitrogen
• Germany's Role in the Nitrogen Cascade

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces the Planetary Boundary framework and specifically focuses on the Planetary Nitrogen Boundary, outlining its foundation, definition, and quantification. Chapter 2 delves into the current literature surrounding nitrogen boundary research, exploring the operationalization of the boundary for Germany, and analyzing the opportunities and critiques related to production-based and consumption-based approaches. The third chapter outlines the research questions, design, and methodology employed to assess Germany's contribution to the nitrogen boundary transgression. This includes a detailed explanation of the indicators, accounting principles, MRIO analysis, legume BNF, downscaling of the boundary, and data sources. The chapter concludes by presenting the results and engaging in a discussion of their implications.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The central keywords and focus topics include Planetary Nitrogen Boundary, nitrogen fertilizer, consumption-based accounting, multi-regional input-output analysis, international supply chains, embodied nitrogen, Germany, environmental impacts, and nitrogen cascade. These terms encapsulate the core themes, research methods, and key concepts explored in the study.