Costs of Air Pollution Control

During the summers of recent years, Germany and other countries in Europe - perienced a considerable number of days, where limit values for ground level ozone set for the protection of human health were exceeded. This occurred in spite of - ductions of ozone precursor emissions in Europe during the 1990s due to European and national environmental legislation. And with European air quality limit values having become more and more stringent over time, the question arises, to what - tent emission control measures will have to be implemented to achieve compliance with short and long term targets for ozone and other air quality problems. Emission control, however, is usually associated with considerable costs. Thus, air pollution control strategies do not only have to take into account compliance - sues. Cost-effective approaches to achieve targets have to be identified. In addition to that, benefits arising from reduced levels of air pollution need to be accounted for in the frame of a cost-benefit assessment of different options to reduce air pollutant emissions, in order to find the most efficient pathway to improved air quality.

In addition to the detailed discussion of the methods used, the book gives a thorough evaluation of the results achieved for different environmental targets Indicates, how the methodological basis can be used and enhanced for integrated assessment modelling Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Klappentext

This work derives strategies for developing useful EU policies aimed at the control of air pollutants in Europe, especially ground-level ozone. The author starts with the air-pollution status quo in the late 1990s, placing further impacts of photooxidant concentrations into perspective. Emission sources are then analysed in detail, and a likely scenario for a business-as-usual development in emissions is proposed. From the cost-benefit perspective, it is shown that a holistic, integrated evaluation of all air pollutants and their effects results in a full accounting that reflects synergies and hidden benefits. The modelling scheme identifies emission targets needed to achieve compliance with EU thresholds, and calculations reveal the need to review established ozone thresholds and emission limits, even after discounting the positive effects of including central and eastern European nations.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Air Pollution in Europe: Tropospheric Ozone; Air Pollution Impacts; Activities on Air Pollution Control.- Emissions, Sources and Abatement Costs: Emission Analysis; Country Analysis; Scenario Development; Assessing Abatement Costs; Emission Abatement Options.- Optimizing Ozone Abatement Strategies: Model Design and Implementation; Model Evaluation.- Modelling Results for Tropospheric Ozone: Cost-effectiveness Analysis; Additional Emission Reductions; Ozone Thresholds and Limit Values.- Evaluation of Results: Future Abatement Options; Recommendations for Policy Makers.- Conclusion and Outlook.