Acid Rain in Europe: Counting the cost

by Helen Apsimon (Editor), David Pearce (Editor), Ece Ozdemiroglu (Editor)

Overview

The environmental impacts of acid rain: on human health, on buildings and materials, on forests, freshwaters, crops and biodiversity and on global warming have been well-documented. Less is known about the extent and economic costs of these impacts. This book describes the first major implementation of an integrated scientific and economic assessment of the consequences of acid rain. It provides an extensive data review and examines how this unique approach to assessment modelling can be can be used to calculate an acidification cost per unit of pollutant in monetary terms. Part One focuses on the methodological issues of scientific measurement of acidification, dose-response relationships and economic approaches to acidification control. Part Two looks at the environmental impacts and economic consequences of acidification. Affected environmental media and human health are investigated in separate chapters, each including both scientific and economic analyses. Part Three provides a summary of the findings and makes recommendations for further application of these types of results to policy actions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781844079858
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/01/1997
Series:	Earthscan Library Collection: International Environmental Governance Set Series
Edition description:	1
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Helen ApSimon is leader of the Air Pollution Group, Imperial College Centre for Environmental Technology, London. David Pearce is associate director of the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), University College London, a member of the United Nations High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development and editor of the seminal Blueprint series (Earthscan). Ece Ozdemiroglu is a director of Economics For The Environmental Consultancy Ltd (EFTEC), London. Originally published in 1997

Table of Contents

1. Background to the Acid Rain Problem  2. The Scientific Assessment of Acidification  3. Dose-Response Relationships for Acidifying Species  4. The Economic Approach to Acidification Control  5. Forests The Nature of Acid Damage Dose-Response Functions  6. Freshwaters Acidification of Lakes and Rivers  7. Ecosystem Damage and the Effects on Biodiversity  8. Crops Dose-Response Functions Receptor  9. Buildings and Materials Nature of Impacts  10. Health Nature of Impact  11. Visibility Physical Impacts  12. Global Warming and Acid Rain  13. Damage from NO2 Emissions: Counting the Costs in Europe  14. Summary and Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

'I am delighted to welcome the publication of this important book. At last there is an authoritative volume which really addresses the acid rain issue from an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating its scientific and economic dimensions, by quantifying the benefits of abatement strategies.' -Professor Nigel Bell, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

'This book describes a project that has been instrumental for the economic evaluation of air pollution damage in Europe carried out in the framework of the UN/ ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. It presents the state of the art, but is written in a way that makes the material accessible to non-experts. The book will no doubt influence the policy debate for air pollution abatement strategies in Europe, and provide important impetus for the preparation of new UN/ ECE protocols and further steps to reduce acidification and ground-level ozone in Europe.'- Henning Wuester, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

From the Publisher