Acid Rain in Europe
Counting the cost

'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.'
DR HENNING WUESTER
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
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.
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

Tables Figures
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Authorship
Foreword
1. Background to the Acid Rain Problem
The Second Sulphur Protocol
The Benefits of Emission Abatement
Integrated Assessment and the Second Sulphur Protocol
Cost-Benefit Analysis
What Benefits are Relevant?
2. The Scientific Assessment of Acidification
Emissions of Acidic Species and Abatement Measures to Reduce Them
Atmospheric Transport and Deposition
Critical Loads and Exceedance
Integrated Assessment
3. Dose-Response Relationships for Acidifying Species
Dose-Response Relationships
Dose and Exposure
Responses and 'Symptoms'
The Nature of Change
Uncertainty and Risk
Summary and Conclusions
4. The Economic Approach to Acidification Control
The Nature of Damage Functions
Functional Forms and their Policy Implications
Statics versus Dynamics
Economic Valuation
Damages and the Benefits of Control
5. Forests
The Nature of Acid Damage
Dose-Response Functions
Stock at Risk
Receptor Direct Use Impacts
Receptor Indirect Use Impacts
Receptor Non-Use Value
Omissions and Recommendations
6. Freshwaters
Acidification of Lakes and Rivers
Acid Toxicity in Fish
The Economic Effects of Freshwater Acidification
Conclusions
7. Ecosystem Damage and the Effects on Biodiversity
Impacts of Acid Deposition on Biodiversity
Dose-Response Functions
Economic Studies
Stock at Risk
Omissions and Recommendations
8. Crops
Dose-Response Functions
Receptor Direct Use Impacts
Receptor Indirect Use Impacts
Conclusions
9. Buildings and Materials
Nature of Impacts
Dose-Response Functions
Stock at Risk
Economic Valuation
Estimating Material Damage Costs in Europe
Conclusions and Recommendations
10. Health
Nature of Impact
Stock at Risk
Types of Dose-Response Functions
Direct Impacts of Acidifying Pollutants on Human Health
Acid Rain and Mortality
Acid Rain and Morbidity
Indirect Impacts of Acidifying Pollutants on Human Health
Conclusions
11. Visibility
Physical Impacts
Physical Evaluation of Visibility Impairment
Receptor Direct Use Values
Receptor Non-Use Values
Visibility Studies in Europe
Conclusions
12. Global Warming and Acid Rain
Sulphate Aerosols and Climate Cooling
Quantifying Negative Climate Change
Receptor Indirect Use Impacts
Conclusions
13. Damage from NO2 Emissions: Counting the Costs in Europe
Methodological Developments
Economic Valuation
Health Dose-Response Functions
Non-Human Health Dose-Response Functions
Air Dispersion Models
The Final Damage Results
14. Summary and Conclusions
The Historical Context
Purpose of the Book
What Is Known About Dose-Response Functions?
What Is Known About Economic Damage Estimates?
Conclusions
Annexe: The Methodology of Economic Valuation
Valuation Techniques
Benefits Transfer
Conclusions
References
Index

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