Acid rain in Europe development of regionally coordinated abatement policies

Completed

Not Energy Related
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Coal, Coal combustion)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Oil and gas combustion)

Basic and strategic applied research

SOCIAL SCIENCES (Economics and Econometrics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences)

Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions)

Professor MJ Chadwick
Stockholm Research Institute (SEI)
University of York

Standard

ESRC

01 December 1985

31 July 1988

32 months

£59,680

No relevance to Underpinning Sectors

Yorkshire & Humberside

ESRC Energy

Professor MJ Chadwick, Stockholm Research Institute (SEI), University of York

Objectives not supplied

Over the past fifteen years, concern has been growing over the environmental effects and social costs of acid rain. When fossil fuels are combusted, sulphur and nitrogen oxides (SO₂ and NO_x) are emitted into the atmosphere and finally deposited, in the dry or wet state, as acidic substances which are detrimental to living animal and plant life, human health and to structures and buildings. Techniques for reducing these emissions are available and are being applied in a number of countries. The main obstacle to the widespread use of abatement techniques is the significant and variable national costs which are incurred. As deposits in any country may originate both from domestic and foreign emissions, national or limited multinational abatement policies have little chance of success. This research project is an environmental and economic study designed to identify abatement policies that would reduce deposits in environmentally sensitive areas at minimum total cost to the European Region as a whole. A model system relates energy consumption to emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions. Through an atmospheric transport model an acidic deposition pattern for Europe is obtained. Environmentally sensitive areas are determined and goals for reducing deposits will then be established. Abatement strategies to meet these goals will be determined on the basis of cost-effectiveness for the European Region as a whole. Finally, problems and possibilitiesfor implementing these strategies politically will be identified.

06/09/11