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Mark Brady. Photo.

Mark Brady

Policy officer

Mark Brady. Photo.

How unnecessarily high abatement costs and unresolved distributional issues undermine nutrient reductions to the Baltic Sea

Author

  • Anna Andersson
  • Mark V. Brady
  • Johanna Pohjola

Summary, in English

This paper systematically reviews the literature on how to reduce nutrient emissions to the Baltic Sea cost-effectively and considerations for allocating these costs fairly among countries. The literature shows conclusively that the reduction targets of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) could be achieved at considerably lower cost, if countries would cooperate to implement the least costly abatement plan. Focusing on phosphorus abatement could be prudent as the often recommended measures—wastewater treatment and wetlands—abate nitrogen too. An implication of our review is that the potential for restoring the Baltic Sea to good health is undermined by an abatement strategy that is more costly than necessary and likely to be perceived as unfair by several countries. Neither the BSAP nor the cost-effective solution meet the surveyed criteria for fairness, implying a need for side-payments.

Department/s

  • AgriFood Economics Centre, SLU
  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science
  • Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2022

Language

English

Pages

51-68

Publication/Series

Ambio: a Journal of Human Environment

Volume

51

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Economics

Status

Published

Research group

  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0044-7447