The Costs of Meeting the Environmental Objectives for the Baltic Sea: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

The environmental targets of the recently agreed Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) targets are likely associated with a considerable cost, which motivates a search for low-cost policies. The following review shows there is a substantial literature on cost-efficient nutrient reduction strategies, including suggestions regarding low-cost abatement, but actual policies at international and national scale tend to be considerably more expensive due to lack of instruments that ensure a cost-efficient allocation of abatement across countries and sectors. Economic research on the costs of reducing hazardous substances and oil spill damages in the Baltic Sea is not available, but lessons from the international literature suggest that resources could be used more efficiently if appropriate analysis is undertaken. Common to these pollution problems is the need to ensure that all countries in the region are provided with positive incentives to implement international agreements.

Keywords

Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP); Costs; Review; Eutrophication; Hazardous substances

Published in

AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
2010, volume: 39, number: 1, pages: 49-58
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Elofsson, Katarina

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation
SDG13 Climate action
SDG14 Life below water

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Management
Fish and Aquacultural Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-009-0005-8

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/59961