Nitrogen in the Baltic Sea - Policy implications of stock effects
Hart, Rob and Brady, Mark LU
(2002)
In Journal of Environmental Management
66(1).
p.91-103
- Abstract
We develop an optimal control model for cost-effective management of pollution, including two state variables, pollution stock and ecosystem quality. We apply it to Baltic Sea pollution by nitrogen leachates from agriculture. We present a sophisticated, non-linear model of leaching abatement costs, and a simple model of nitrogen stocks. We find that significant abatement is achievable at reasonable cost, despite the countervailing effects of existing agricultural policies such as price supports. Successful abatement should lead to lower nitrogen stocks in the sea in 5 years or less. However, the rate of ecosystem recovery is less certain. The results are highly dependent on the rate of self-cleaning of the Baltic Sea, and less so on the... (More)
We develop an optimal control model for cost-effective management of pollution, including two state variables, pollution stock and ecosystem quality. We apply it to Baltic Sea pollution by nitrogen leachates from agriculture. We present a sophisticated, non-linear model of leaching abatement costs, and a simple model of nitrogen stocks. We find that significant abatement is achievable at reasonable cost, despite the countervailing effects of existing agricultural policies such as price supports. Successful abatement should lead to lower nitrogen stocks in the sea in 5 years or less. However, the rate of ecosystem recovery is less certain. The results are highly dependent on the rate of self-cleaning of the Baltic Sea, and less so on the discount rate. Choice of target has a radical effect on the abatement path chosen. Cost-effectiveness demands such a choice, and should therefore be used with care when stock effects are present.
(Less)
- author
- Hart, Rob
and Brady, Mark
LU
- publishing date
- 2002-09
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Agricultural nitrogen, Baltic Sea, Dynamic optimization, Ecosystem quality, Pollution, Stock pollutants
- in
- Journal of Environmental Management
- volume
- 66
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 13 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:12395590
- scopus:0036734674
- ISSN
- 0301-4797
- DOI
- 10.1006/jema.2002.0579
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- ab385c88-a4a0-4f22-91d2-c7db10727838
- date added to LUP
- 2021-04-22 15:39:41
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 07:36:22
@article{ab385c88-a4a0-4f22-91d2-c7db10727838,
abstract = {{<p>We develop an optimal control model for cost-effective management of pollution, including two state variables, pollution stock and ecosystem quality. We apply it to Baltic Sea pollution by nitrogen leachates from agriculture. We present a sophisticated, non-linear model of leaching abatement costs, and a simple model of nitrogen stocks. We find that significant abatement is achievable at reasonable cost, despite the countervailing effects of existing agricultural policies such as price supports. Successful abatement should lead to lower nitrogen stocks in the sea in 5 years or less. However, the rate of ecosystem recovery is less certain. The results are highly dependent on the rate of self-cleaning of the Baltic Sea, and less so on the discount rate. Choice of target has a radical effect on the abatement path chosen. Cost-effectiveness demands such a choice, and should therefore be used with care when stock effects are present.</p>}},
author = {{Hart, Rob and Brady, Mark}},
issn = {{0301-4797}},
keywords = {{Agricultural nitrogen; Baltic Sea; Dynamic optimization; Ecosystem quality; Pollution; Stock pollutants}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{91--103}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Journal of Environmental Management}},
title = {{Nitrogen in the Baltic Sea - Policy implications of stock effects}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jema.2002.0579}},
doi = {{10.1006/jema.2002.0579}},
volume = {{66}},
year = {{2002}},
}