All the Worst Offenders

NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 MARITSA POWER PLANT, BULGARIA. © MICHAEL REINHARD MARITSA POWER PLANT,

SO2 EMISSIONS All the worst offenders

TOPPING THE LIST of the 100 great- from large installations have de- data has meant that plants in Rus- est emitters of sulphur to the atmos- clined markedly in the intervening sia, Ukraine, and Turkey have had phere in Europe are two large coal- period, it is also clear that they are to be omitted from the list. There is fired power stations in Bulgaria. To- still far from negligible. According however another list, in the report on gether they let out nearly 600,000 to the latest figures, the 100 largest the survey, in which plants from those tons of sulphur dioxide a year as emitters were still pouring out 8 countries are ranged among the much as the combined total from all million tons of sulphur dioxide a year, worst hundred. the following countries: Austria, corresponding to 40 per cent of the The data base that was built up Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the total from all sources on land in in the course of the survey includes Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Europe in 1997. some 3000 large emitters. These The figures come from the latest It may be noted that 81 of the 3000 let out at least 15 million tons 1 survey of emission sources made by plants on the list are power stations, of SO2 a year, or about a three quar- Mark Barrett of SENCO consultants and that all of them are coal-fired ters of all the emissions from land- at the instance of the Swedish NGO except for the Balti and Eesti plants based sources in Europe. In revising Secretariat on Acid Rain. This is an in Estonia, which burn oil-shale. The the list, Barrett has had access to the updated version of a previous sur- rest are mainly smelters and refin- IEAs (International Energy Agen- vey made in the early nineties. eries. cys) new data base for coal-fired Although it is evident from com- Although the survey covers essen- plants, for the years from 1995 to parison of the two that the emissions tially the whole of Europe, inadequate Continued on page 4

A NEWSLETTER FROM THE SWEDISH NGO SECRETARIAT ON ACID RAIN EDITORIAL

is a newsletter from the Swedish NGO Sec- retariat on Acid Rain, whose primary aim Past and future is to provide information on the subjects of acid rain and the acidification of the environment. NOW WE ARE into a new century. ence was the formation of the Swed- Anyone interested in these problems is During the last ten or fifteen years ish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain in invited to contact the secretariat. All re- quests for information or material will be the idea that something must be January of the following year, and dealt with to the best of our ability. Acid done to save the environment has the start of Acid News. News is distributed free of charge. sunk into peoples consciousness in It was a number of events during In order to fullfill the purpose of Acid most parts of the industrialized a few years at the end of the seven- News, we need information from every- world. In Europe and North America ties and the beginning of the eight- where – so if you have read or heard about at least air pollution has become a ies that really laid the foundation for something that might be of general inter- general subject of conversation. Al- the work of improving air quality est, please write or send a copy to: though what most immediately that is now going on. It may there- The Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain Box 7005, S-402 31 Göteborg, Sweden comes to mind in this connection is fore be worth considering in retro- probably car exhausts and bad urban spect: What was the state of knowl- Tel: +46-31-711 45 15. Fax: 711 46 20 air, people are also starting to become edge at that time, and what was E-mail: [email protected] aware of the damaging effects, for in- known or merely surmised. What Internet: www.acidrain.org stance, of ozone at ground level. sort of forecasts had been made of Editor: Christer Ågren This was not so in the summer of the trend, for instance, of emissions. Published by: The Swedish Society for 1980, when four Swedish environ- What was activating political moves, Nature Conservation mentalist groups got together to then and later. What were environ- Printed by Williamssons Offset, Solna, on work out a way of spreading informa- mentalists expectations then, and paper not bleached with chlorine. tion about air pollution in general and how have they altered over the ISSN 0281-5087 the resulting acidification in particu- years. THE SECRETARIAT lar the latter, then, twenty years Most interesting of course will be The Secretariat has a board comprising ago, being practically unheard of, at to see what advances have been in one representative from each of the follow- any rate outside Norway, Sweden, and the course of these twenty years. But ing organizations: Friends of the Earth Sweden, the Swedish Anglers’ National Canada. Although some thirty coun- it will also be important to try and Association, the Swedish Society for Na- tries had indeed, already in 1979, determine why some activities and ture Conservation, the Swedish Youth signed a convention for dealing with measures have been more success- Association for Environmental Studies cross-border airborne pollution, it ful than others. and Conservation, and the World Wide was clear that few of them realized There are still government offi- Fund for Nature Sweden. the extent of the problem and were cials, scientists, environmental jour- The essential aim of the secretariat is to promote awareness of the problems asso- prepared to act. It was only in Scan- nalists, and environmentalists who ciated with air pollution, and thus, in part dinavia that it was generally agreed have been engaged all the time. Oth- as a result of public pressure, to bring that acidification could only be ers may have changed their main about the needed reductions in the emis- solved by reducing the emissions of occupations, yet still continue to sions of air pollutants. The aim is to have sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides maintain a concern for air quality. those emissions eventually brought down to levels – the so-called critical loads – that to the air all over northern and cen- It is their collective impressions that the environment can tolerate without suf- tral Europe. we want to recall in Acid News fering damage. In Europe, Norway and Sweden hence the special section in this is- In furtherance of these aims, the secretariat took the lead in trying to persuade sue chronicling the course of events operates by the West Germans and the British and giving personal views on devel- • Keeping under observation political in particular to restrict their emis- opments over the past two decades. trends and scientific developments. sions. In North America the Cana- We hope that these items will in • Acting as an information centre, prima- dians did the same vis-à-vis the their way give answers to the ques- rily for European environmentalist organi- United States. tions listed above, and so lead to zations, but also for the media, authori- In May 1981 the four Swedish more effective ways of attacking the ties, and researchers. environmentalist associations sent problems of air pollution and acidi- • Producing information material. out an invitation to their counter- fication. • Supporting environmentalist bodies in parts elsewhere to join them in a We intend to continue along this other countries in their work towards common ends. European Conference on Acid Rain line in coming issues of Acid News, • Acting as coordinator of the interna- in Göteborg. The two main aims and invite contributions from all tional activities, including lobbying, of Eu- there were to provide information readers. We shall also be glad to hear ropean environmentalist organizations, as generally about acidification, and to what impressions they may have got for instance in connection with the meet- consider ways in which environmen- from the special section on pages 11- ings of the Convention on Long Range talists could cooperate to bring 18. Transboundary Air Pollution and policy initiatives in the European Union. about a reduction of harmful emis- CHRISTER ÅGREN sions. One outcome of this confer- • Acting as an observer at the proceedings involving international agreements for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.

2 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 Depositions of oxidized On the sulphur coming from following ships. pages

National ceilings 6 Parliament wanted to improve on the Commission’s proposals, but the Council of Ministers would rather weaken them.

Unit: mg S/m2/yr LCPs 8 > 325 A compromise extending the directive to 225-325 existing plants was not considered good 125-225 enough by environmentalists. 25-125 < 25 Acidification 14-15 ACID IMPORTS A series of maps showing the situation from 1980 to 1995, reveal a marked im- In many countries most provement, but much more will have to be done if agreed goals are to be attained.

comes from shipping Climate 19 Two German political scientists urge the SHIPPING HAS BECOME the largest be traced to emissions from ships in need for the EU to take the lead in get- single source of acid fallout over international trade. Around the ting countries to ratify the Kyoto Proto- many countries in Europe. North Sea, Denmark has the high- col, seeing that many are hanging back. The study1 revealing this shows est proportion, 20 per cent. that although most of the sulphur In sensitive coastal regions, the emitted from ships plying in inter- emissions from shipping contribute Road traffic 20 national trade gets deposited over notably to overstepping of the criti- Report confirms that environmental the sea, nevertheless 10 per cent or cal loads, as regards both acidification gains from cleaner vehicles and fuels are more of the sulphur deposition over and eutrophication. They also con- being eroded by increases in traffic vol- a surprising number of countries tribute to the formation of ground- ume and heavier vehicles. stems from that source. level ozone, especially in the Medi- As regards nitrogen deposition terranean region. The crunch 21 resulting from emissions of nitrogen It can hardly be a matter of sur- oxides (nitrogen-oxide nitrogen), the prise that shipping should have The European Environment Agency notes that the link between economic proportion is still greater. In the emerged as such a prominent source growth and an ever increasing use of Mediterranean area, 38 and 24 per of air pollution. For one thing cal- energy has still not been broken. cent of this kind of deposition over culations have scaled up the volume Malta and Cyprus, for instance, can of its emissions in the Mediterra- Ceilings again 23 nean (AN 1/00, p.24), and for another, emissions from sources on land, es- Of three different scenarios for reducing Countries where the proportion of pecially of sulphur, have markedly emissions of air pollutants presented acid fallout coming from ships is declined in the last twenty years. No jointly by four government departments, most marked. countrys emissions of acidifying air environmentalists in the Netherlands pollutants can even approach all would prefer the most stringent. Sulphur NOx- nitrogen that from ships plying in European Malta 16% Malta 38% waters. Eastern Germany 24 Denmark 15% Cyprus 24% PER ELVINGSON Technological efficiency, fuel conversion, Netherlands 13% Denmark 20% and diminished industrial activity have Sweden 13% Estonia 17% 1 Effects of international shipping on Eu- brought down emissions of carbon diox- Cyprus 10% Sweden 16% ropean pollution levels. By J.E. Jonson, L. ide at least to West German levels. Norway 9% Greece 15% Tarrasón and J. Bartnicki. EMEP/MSC-W Belgium 9% Portugal 14% Note 5/00. Available from Meteorological Estonia 9% Netherlands 13% Sythesizing Centre – West, Norwegian Me- Special anniversary teorological Institute, P.O. Box 43-Blindern, Portugal 9% Finland 13% 0313 Oslo, Norway. Also in pdf format at section pp. 11-18 France 8% Ireland 12% www.emep.int.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 3 This is where the 100 largest emitters of sulphur dioxide are found in Europe. The size of the rings indicates relative output. Map: Mark Barrett.

> Continued from front page Around 90 per cent of the emissions somewhat more than US$2 billion a 1997. As for other than coal-fired of sulphur from the largest coal-fired year. But as Barrett points out, FGD plants, Barretts information was plants comes from those that were is not generally the best emission- older, probably over-estimating the commissioned before 1987. This is control option for the first tranche of emissions. now relevant in view of the likely emission reduction. He suggests that Barrett points out that differences adoption of an EU directive for LCPs, switching fuel and using energy more in the age of the data, as well as op- large combustion plants (see p.8). effectively would be a better alter- erating changes, for instance in the The question is whether the direc- native. sulphur content of the fuel and the tive is to apply only to new plants, PER ELVINGSON number of operating hours per year, not yet built, or to existing ones as CHRISTER ÅGREN can make the ranking of the plants well. 1 somewhat inexact. Some of the Span- In his report Barrett discusses The worst and the best.Atmospheric emissions from large point sources in Europe. ish ones have for example, by using briefly what it would cost to install By Mark Barrett, SENCO, UK. Published by imported coal instead of the local equipment for flue-gas desulphur- the Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain. high-sulphur lignite, been able to cut ization noting that it has halved Obtainable free of charge from the publisher. down their emissions of sulphur by in the last 5-10 years. The cost for Also available in pdf format at www.acidrain. a factor of six. eliminating one kilogram of sulphur org/publications. Another source of error is the ex- is now US$3-6. Equipping the hun- The previous survey, entitled Sulphur emis- tent to which equipment for flue-gas dred plants on the list for FGD would sions from large point sources in Europe desulphurization has been used. result in sulphur emissions being cut (2nd edition, 1995) is also obtainable from Because its FGD equipment was not back by 4.7 million tons, at a cost of the secretariat, as well as from the website. always in operation in 1997, the Drax coal-fired power station in England landed ninth on the list. If About the table it had been kept going throughout The list include, besides the chief emitters of port also gives figures for emissions of NOx the year, the emissions would have sulphur dioxide in western Europe, also those and CO , and includes a list showing emis- been no more than a fifth of the re- 2 in ten countries of central and eastern Europe sions from plants in Turkey, Ukraine, and corded figure. that are either accepted candidates for admis- Belarus, as well as in Russia and Georgia west An aspect that is of direct political importance is the age of the plants. sion to the EU or are now applying. The re- of the 45th longitude.

4 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 Europe’s 100 largest SO2 emitters Note. This table is slightly revised compared to that in the printed version

Name ...... Country ...... Type ... SO2 kt Name ...... Country ...... Type ... SO2 kt 1. Maritsa II ...... Bulgaria ...... PS ...... 291 51. Opatovice ...... Czech Republic .... PS ...... 39 2. Maritsa III ...... Bulgaria ...... PS ...... 220 52. Craiova ...... Romania ...... PS ...... 38 3. Puentes As Pontes ... Spain ...... PS ...... 216 53. Blyth ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 38 4. Belchatow ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 212 54. Brindisi ...... Italy ...... PS ...... 38 5. Nikola ...... Yugoslavia ...... PS ...... 156 55. Tisova ...... Czech Republic .... PS ...... 38 6. Thierbach ...... Germany ...... PS ...... 141 56. Abono ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 36 7. Irini ...... Greece ...... PS ...... 126 57. Escatron ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 36 8. Matra ...... Hungary ...... PS ...... 123 58. Eesti ...... Estonia ...... PS ...... 36 9. Drax ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 122 59. Borsod ...... Hungary ...... PS ...... 33 10. West Burton ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 113 60. Drobeta-Turnu ...... Romania ...... PS ...... 32 11. Turow ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 111 61. Ostroleka ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 32 12. Cottam ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 110 62. Balti ...... Estonia ...... PS ...... 32 13. Oroszlany ...... Hungary ...... PS ...... 110 63. Siersza ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 31 14. Maritsa I ...... Bulgaria ...... PS ...... 96 64. Antwerp ...... Belgium ...... Ref ...... 30 15. Adamow ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 96 65. Kardia ...... Greece ...... PS ...... 30 16. St Demetrious ...... Greece ...... PS ...... 88 66. Pecs ...... Hungary ...... PS ...... 30 17. Eggborough ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 88 67. Anllares ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 30 18. Messina ...... Italy ...... Ref ...... 85 68. Rotterdam ...... Netherlands ...... Ref ...... 29 19. Ferrybridge ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 83 69. Alcan ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 29 20. Kosovo ...... Yugoslavia ...... PS ...... 81 70. Ironbridge ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 29 21. Kostolac ...... Yugoslavia ...... PS ...... 74 71. Rugeley ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 29 22. Patnow ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 71 72. Novaky ...... Slovakia ...... PS ...... 28 23. Moneypoint ...... Ireland ...... PS ...... 65 73. Taranto steel ...... Italy ...... Iron ...... 28 24. Kozienice ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 63 74. Narcea ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 27 25. Priolo/Syracusa ...... Italy ...... Ref ...... 62 75. Tilbury ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 26 26. Compostilla ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 60 76. Maascentrale ...... Netherlands ...... PS ...... 25 27. Meirama ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 59 77. Ledvice ...... Czech Republic .... PS ...... 25 28. Robla ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 58 78. Krakow ...... Poland ...... Iron ...... 24 29. Fiddler’s Ferry ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 58 79. Ribera ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 24 30. Cagliari Non Ferrou .. Italy ...... Ind ...... 57 80. Megalopolis ...... Greece ...... PS ...... 24 31. Sines ...... Portugal ...... PS ...... 56 81. Lodz ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 24 32. Amynteon-Filotas ..... Greece ...... PS ...... 56 82. Krakow ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 23 33. Chemopetrol(Litvinov)Czech Republic .... Ref ...... 55 83. Mehrum ...... Germany ...... PS ...... 23 34. Turceni ...... Romania ...... PS ...... 54 84. Escucha ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 23 35. Lippendorf ...... Germany ...... PS ...... 54 85. Frimmersdorf ...... Germany ...... PS ...... 22 36. Longannet ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 51 86. Cagliari ...... Italy ...... Ref ...... 22 37. Caltanissetta ...... Italy ...... Ind ...... 51 87. Guardo ...... Spain ...... PS ...... 22 38. Brindisi ...... Italy ...... Ind ...... 47 88. Zeran ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 21 39. Bobovdol ...... Bulgaria ...... PS ...... 47 89. Huta Katowice DG .... Poland ...... Ind ...... 21 40. Didcot ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 47 90. Ptolemais ...... Greece ...... PS ...... 21 41. Prunerov ...... Czech Republic .... PS ...... 46 91. Melnik ...... Czech Republic .... PS ...... 21 42. Nordenham ...... Germany ...... Smelter .....45 92. Gelsenkirchen ...... Germany ...... Ref ...... 20 43. High Marnham ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 45 93. Novo Polotsk ...... Belarus ...... Ref ...... 20 44. Venezia Chem ...... Italy ...... Ind ...... 44 94. Goslar ...... Germany ...... Smelter .....19 45. Ajka ...... Hungary ...... PS ...... 43 95. Elektrownia ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 19 46. Pomorzany ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 43 96. Skawina ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 19 47. Rybnik ...... Poland ...... PS ...... 41 97. Kokkola ...... Finland ...... Smelter .....19 48. Sassari Chem ...... Italy ...... Ind ...... 40 98. Drakelow ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 19 49. Varna ...... Bulgaria ...... PS ...... 40 99. Cockenzie ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 19 50. Kingsnorth ...... United Kingdom .... PS ...... 39 100. November 7th (Inota) Hungary ...... Ind ...... 18

PS = Power Station. Ref = Refinery. Ind = Industry. SO2 kt = sulphur dioxide, kilo ton.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 5 NEC DIRECTIVE Clashing over ceilings

While Parliament wanted to improve on the Commissions proposals for national ceilings, the Council of Ministers voted to soften them, thus endangering essential environmental aims. © HANS ÖSTBOM

ON JUNE 22 the environmental min- no exceeding of the critical loads and The outcome was the proposal for isters of the EU countries agreed in a proper protection for health. The national ceilings that was put for- principle on the common position setting of national ceilings may well ward in June last year, which would they were to take in regard to the be pivotal for the attainment of en- reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide Commissions proposed directive for vironmental aims in the EU. in the EU totally by 78 per cent be- national ceilings on the emissions of After having presented its strat- tween 1990 and 2010, those of nitro- four air pollutants: sulphur dioxide, egy for dealing with acidification in gen oxides by 55 per cent, and of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic com- 1997, the Commission started to volatile organic compounds and am- pounds, and ammonia. make a careful analysis of ways of monia by 60 and 21 per cent respec- Although this was hardly unex- arriving at the most cost-effective tively. pected, it would make the directive means, for the EU as a whole, of at- This directive would oblige each distinctly weaker (see table). On the member country to have drawn up other hand several countries have a program for progressive reduction said themselves willing to accept Ceilings may be pivotal of its emissions of the four pollut- tougher ceilings than they had agreed ants and report it to the Commis- to when signing the Gothenburg for the attainment sion at the latest by October 2002, protocol to the Convention Long- of environmental aims stating also what measures it had Range Transboundary Air Pollution actually taken to contain emissions. only half a year ago (reported in AN Every year, too, members should 1/00, pp. 8-10). report on their current emission lev- The aim of this new directive is to taining the interim targets. Here use els, and give forecasts for 2010. All provide better safeguards for peoples was made, for instance, of the RAINS this information should moreover be health and the environment through computer model, which has long made public. a successive reduction of the pollut- served for the work on transbound- Having received all this, the Com- ants in question. In its strategies for ary air pollution. Contact was also mission is to report to European combating acidification and ground- maintained continuously with ex- Parliament and the Council of Min- level ozone the Commission has pro- perts from all the member countries isters in 2004 and 2008 on the posed interim targets for 2010 as a as well as other so-called stake- progress made towards the achieve- first step towards realization of the holders (industry and environmen- ment of national ceilings, and on the long-term aims, which are to ensure talist bodies). extent to which the interim objec-

6 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 tives were likely to be met by 2010. laws weigh much more than in- session, before being again sent on The Commission can also propose any ternational agreements. With ceil- the European Parliament for a sec- adjustments to the national ceilings ings prescribed in an EU directive, ond reading in accordance with what that may seem necessary. their implementation can be much is known as the co-decision proce- As can be seen from the table, too, better observed. dure. the member countries were quite Another reason is that the Com- As reported in Acid News 2/00 unprepared to accept the Commis- mission is responsible for seeing that (p.10), the Parliament had already sions proposals. The Council thought EU environmental aims are really given full support to the Commis- that between 1990 and 2010 the met, which assumes legislation at sions proposals, both for emission overall emissions of sulphur dioxide the EU level. Moreover the EU as a ceilings and for air-quality standards should be reduced by 77 instead of possible coming signatory to the for ozone. It was in fact inclined to 78 per cent, those of nitrogen oxides a further tightening up of both di- by 51 per cent, of VOCs by 54 and rectives. ammonia by 14 per cent (instead of Member countries were Just when the second reading will 55, 60, and 21 per cent). But accord- take place is uncertain, although it ing to the Commission, that would unprepared to accept will in all likelihood not be before mean failure to reach the interim Commissions proposals late autumn. With an overwhelming objectives for the containment of acid majority favouring the tougher line, depositions and ozone. The Councils it is unlikely that the Parliament will attitude might also mean that the change its mind thus coming onto Commissions proposed air-quality Gothenburg protocol will be obliged collision course with the Council. standards for ozone, included in a as far as possible to ensure that its But that is something that will have new daughter directive, would be at terms are fulfilled, and that can best to be dealt with by conciliation talks risk. be done with the backing of EU leg- between Council and Parliament. As can also be seen from the table, islation. the ceilings that the member coun- At its June meeting the Council CHRISTER ÅGREN tries consider possible do not differ reached a unanimous political agree- Note. A press release from EEB (European appreciably from those in the Gothen- ment in view of a common position. Environmental Bureau) and various environ- burg protocol. The common position will now be mentalist organizations, giving their views on Why, then, all this trouble? The formally adopted without further the Council’s attitude, can be seen on the Sec-

main reason is of course that EU debate, at a forthcoming Council retariat’s website, www/acidrain/org/policy. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Emissions from each country in 1990 together with three scenarios for 2010. PRO is what each country has committed itself to by signing the Gotenburg Protocol. MIN is what would result from the common position reached by the Council of Ministers in June. COM shows figures resulting from the Commission’s proposal for ceilings on emissions. 1000 tons.

Sulphur dioxide Nitrogen oxides Volatile organic compounds Ammonia PRO MIN COM PRO MIN COM PRO MIN COM PRO MIN COM Country 1990 2010 2010 2010 1990 2010 2010 2010 1990 2010 2010 2010 1990 2010 2010 2010 A3ustria 99393042179 130 110 92395 195 195 172 7666676 B6elgium 363 190 9671315 168 177 142 347 194 123 170 9474775 D2enmark 158 555774277 172 172 122 158 8585877969617 F6inland 262 101 161 161 207 107 127 135 201 103 103 101 4131313 F0rance 1025 450 387 271 1086 806 891 627 2038 1010 1205 973 800 708 788 71 G0ermany 5028 505 532 426 2166 1108 1105 1205 3512 959 949 972 705 505 535 41 G4reece 560 534 562 554 344 344 344 266 313 216 236 107 8373747 I8reland 127 424823151 656950151 555557162 161 131 12 I9taly 1067 550 467 576 2003 1000 999 856 2905 1915 1215 926 496 491 401 43 L4uxemb. 1443221111891 9967777 N1etherl. 200 505052564 206 286 203 419 159 168 135 283 182 142 10 P4ortugal 208 107 116 184 200 206 245 124 221 200 128 110 78100 976 S9pain 2418 767 764 724 1716 874 814 788 1900 626 626 626 335 335 335 35 S9weden 171 676768383 184 124 115 511 214 294 211 6757584 U5K 3580 652 578 499 2183 1718 1116 1718 2066 1020 1420 996 372 279 249 26 E9U15 14633 4004 3485 3663 18322 6964 6351 5192 10403 6060 6151 5858 3857 3012 3711 282 Sources: 1990 och PRO2010: Amann, M. et.al (1999) “Integrated Assessment Modelling for the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground- level Ozone in Europe.” COM2010: European Commission COM(99)125 final “Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants.” MIN2010: Press release from the Environment Council, June 22, 2000.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 7 LARGE COMBUSTION PLANTS DIRECTIVE Limits also for existing plants

Despite compromise reached in the Council, environmentalists remain critical

A COMPROMISE reached in the Coun- cil in June will mean that it is highly probable that the EU will be requir- ing emission reductions for existing large combustion plants thus set- tling a matter that has been the main bone of contention ever since the Commission put forward its proposal for a revision of the 1988 di- rective1 two years ago. That proposal contained no requirements for existing plants. It aimed mainly at setting stricter limits for the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and dust from future plants, yet to be built. Seeing that the present requirements for such plants are extremely modest reflecting the technical situation of the early 1980s such a proposal could hardly be earth shaking. It nevertheless met with distinct irritation from certain industrial groups and some of the member countries. But even more member countries, as well as the European Parliament and environmentalist organizations, thought the proposal did not go far enough, and are therefore striving for stricter requirements (see for instance AN 4/98, pp. 9-10). The Council compromise did not however alter the emission limits proposed by the Commission for new plants. This means that if the directive is adopted unchanged, those requirements will become binding from the date at which the directive In the EU much of the acidifying air pollution comes from existing large combustion plants. comes into force, probably in 2003. The European Parliament may now insist that the requirements for emissions from such Those interests that were push- plants be tightened up. ing for stricter requirements for new plants were also able to ensure that dividual plants, or using a national gether. Provided member countries rules would be set for existing plants. bubble ensuring the same emis- report such plants to the commis- Under the compromise agreement sion total that would have resulted sion before 2004, they will be per- the member countries will now have if limits had set for each plant sepa- mitted to run them for a maximum to take steps to reduce emissions rately. This latter alternative will of 20,000 operating hours after from plants built before 1987. The mean that countries will be able to January 2008. A power plant kept requirements will be about the same allow some dirtier plants to exceed going at base load throughout the as those that have so far been appli- the limits, provided the emissions year will run up about 7000-8000 cable for plants built after that date, from other plants are kept low operating hours. Thus the compro- and will have to be carried out at the enough. mise will, at worst, make it possible latest by January 1, 2008. The compromise will also mean to go on operating plants that are The member countries will be per- that some very old plants in any case only used for 25-40 per cent of the mitted to meet these requirements scheduled for closing down in the time (which is becoming ever more either by setting limit values for in- near future can be exempted alto- usual, for instance in the case of

8 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 coal-fired power plants in Britain) CLEAN AIR FOR EUROPE for almost twenty years more. The Councils attitude was strongly criticized by environmentalist or- Call for integration ganizations such as the European Environmental Bureau, which said of all EU information in a press release: The development towards a liberalized electricity mar- BETTER COORDINATION of the strat- practically impossible to do all that, ket makes it even more important egies and measures for dealing with they proposed various restrictions to establish minimum environmen- air pollution is needed in the Euro- and organizational solutions. tal requirements for existing power pean Union. Originally aired in a Commenting on the report, the plants in order to avoid environmen- discussion paper from the Commis- European Environmental Bureau, an tal dumping. Failure to set limits for sions environment directorate in the umbrella organization for Europes existing plants will miss the oppor- autumn of 1998 (see AN 1/99, p.6), the environmentalist groups, empha- tunity to internalize some of the idea was to improve coordination sized the need for adequate funding external costs to the environment through the setting up of a Clean Air of the program, in order to ensure its and human health. This goes against for Europe program, CAFE. capacity and authority to intervene the polluter pays principle of the Last July the consultants that had if other parts of the Commission Treaty and fails to provide con- EC been employed by the Commission than the environment directorate ditions for a level playing field, as to propose a form for the program should want to act in a way that required by the Single Market. Cou- submitted a preliminary report, in would be inconsistent with the CAFE pled with fossil fuel subsidies, this is which they said Ideally CAFE would strategy for clean air. why renewable energies cannot com- integrate information relating to all The consultants final report to the pete with conventional fossil fuels. air quality developments in the EU. Commission is expected towards the The common position pronounced Seeing however that it would be end of the year. on June 22 will be formally adopted, without further debate, by the Coun- cil at a forthcoming session. It will lengthy conciliation process with the then be sent for a second reading in Council and so enable the directive to the European Parliament. Just when become law sooner than might other- that reading will take place is un- wise have been the case. certain, but it will probably be in 1 COM(1998)591. See also AN 1/99, p.7. November or December. It is likely that the LCP directive will be debated Transition costs at the same time as that on national Cleaner bikes ceilings for emissions (see preceding overestimated The EU Commission has put forward a article in this issue). proposal for directive for new emission The Commission is currently carrying At its first reading of the LCP di- standards for motorcycles. The same on negotiations with the first six acces- rective, the last Parliament was in both for two-stroke and four-stroke en- sion countries as to the length of the favour of tightening up the require- gines, they are intended to take effect period to be allowed for transition to EU ments for existing as well as later in 2004, and would mean much lower environmental standards. Last year plants (see AN 2/99, pp. 6-7). If the emissions for all the regulated substances these countries had formally asked for new parliament should maintain the (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and periods of up to fourteen years in which same attitude as the last one, it will nitrogen oxides). A new test cycle would to implement various directives. come into conflict with the Council. be introduced in a subsequent stage, The Centre for European Policy Stud- The composition of the Parliament together with still lower emission lim- ies questions however in a report made was considerably changed by last its in 2006. last June the need for derogations and long transition periods. It considers the summers election. Any differences Car Lines, July 2000. cost of compliance to have been much that may arise will have to be set- overestimated, since by the time of ac- tled through conciliation talks with All clear cession existing capital stock will have the Council in the spring of 2001. Now that the proposed directive for air- been largely replaced in the interests quality standards for benzene and car- of modern standards for quality, produc- CHRISTER ÅGREN bon monoxide1 has gone though a sec- tivity, and energy efficiency. ond reading in the EU Parliament, it can The Centre says that the big invest- Note. A press release from the European En- be assumed that the limit value for ben- ments that will have to be made by environmental Bureau and various environmen- zene will definitely be 10 µg/m3. ergy, water, and waste utilities are talist organisations, commenting on the Coun- While expressing disappointment at wrongly assumed to be largely a burden cil’s conclusions, can be found at the secre- some aspects of the directive, the Euro- on public capital requirements, and tariat’s home page www.acidrain.org/policy. pean Environmental Bureau neverthe- that it is this misapprehension that is htm#eu. less declared the outcome to be good giving rise to the demand for long tran- 1Council Directive 88/609/EEC on the limi- news for citizens health and the envi- sition periods. It recommends cost-re- tation of emissions of certain pollutants into ronment. The EEB found it especially covery pricing in these sectors as a means the air from large combustion plants. praiseworthy that the Parliament had of raising revenues and reducing the conducted this second reading in such scale of the necessary investments. a way as to avoid the possibility of a ENDS Daily, June 21 and 28, 2000.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 9 WORKING WELL INTERNET Environmental taxes

THE USE OF environmental taxes is taxes has lately increased among the increasing in the EU, albeit slowly. larger member countries of the EU In 1997 they accounted for 6.71 per Germany and Italy having intro- cent of the total tax intake, up duced one on emissions of carbon slightly from 1990, when it was 6.17 dioxide as part of an ecotax reform. per cent. In 1980 it had been 5.84 France and Britain will be follow- per cent. ing suit next year. It has been shown in several stud- Almost all the member countries ies that environmental taxes do have have raised their taxes on energy, or Cyber voices against an effect. Outstanding examples are are about to do so. The aim in many the taxes on water pollution that have cases is to constrain emissions of climate change been applied in France, Germany, carbon dioxide. The Commissions An international web-based initiative and the Netherlands, and also the proposal for raising the minimum has been launched to give citizens around Swedish charge on emissions of ni- rate for the taxation of energy in all the world a voice in demanding a halt to trogen oxides, and the differentiated member countries has however got global warming. The aim is to get people taxes in several countries on leaded stuck in the Council, where it is be- to send 10 million messages to world and unleaded petrol. More recent ing blocked by Spain (Council deci- political leaders calling on them to use evaluations have shown the good sions on common taxes have to be the November climate summit at the effect of taxes on carbon dioxide in unanimous). Hague, Netherlands, to really reduce Denmark and Finland as well as in the pollution that is causing global Sweden, and of the fuel-duty esca- Source: Recent developments in the use of warming. lator in Britain and the Danish tax environmental taxes in the European Un- www.climatevoice.org on sulphur in fuel. ion. European Environment Agency, July The attraction of environmental 2000. Available on www.eea.eu.int. Among the sponsors are Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature. More countries About the air: signing up A few more countries have now signed electronically the Gothenburg Protocol, adding their The Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric names to the list given in AN 1/00, p.8. Environment is the title of a highly in- These new countries are Belgium, formative electronic reference work cre- Greece, Poland, and Moldova. Among ated by the Atmospheric Research and those that have still failed to sign are Information Centre at Manchester Met- Belarus, Lithuania, the Russian Federa- ropolitan University. It is available free tion, Ukraine, and the European Union. of charge at LRTAP Secretariat. Status June 3, 2000. www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/eae/ Jobs, emissions Among the matters associated with the atmosphere on which the Encyclopedia connected Less sulphur gives information are acid rain, air qual- There is now a study showing that ap- in British oil ity, climate change, and ozone depletion. plication of the harmonized energy tax The EU directive restricting the sulphur proposed by the Commission in 1997 The material is arranged in varying de- content of oil became law in Great Brit- grees of technicality, and is in general would bring 120,000 new jobs to the EU ain last June. According to the UK envi- by 2010, if the proceeds were used to easy to read. Also provides links to other ronment ministry this will lessen Eng- lower labour costs. It would also cause web sites. lish and Welsh emissions of sulphur di- emissions of carbon dioxide to decline oxide by about 60,000 tons a year from by 2 per cent. The study was made by 2003. In 1997 the burning of heavy fuel Change the English consultants AEA Technol- oil and gas oil accounted for 20 per cent ogy Environment in collaboration with or pay of all UK emissions of SO . Implement- the University of Bath. 2 ing the directive would, also according Here are two internet data bases giving Most of the new employment would to the ministry, cost between £67 and examples of the use of financial and fis- be in engineering firms supplying emis- £l76 million (euro 106-279m), with most cal instruments for the protection of the sion-reducing technologies. All the mem- of the extra expenditure falling on the environment in various countries: bers of the EU would in line to benefit. oil refineries. Heavy fuel oil is used in a o That of the EU Commissions envi- Spain for instance the country that is few UK power stations and in industrial ronment directorate: europa.eu.int/ now blocking the Commissions pro- boilers and furnaces. Gas oil is used for comm/environment/enveco/database. posal would gain 10,000 new jobs. heating, in small industrial boilers, and htm ENDS Daily, August 14, 2000. Also on as fuel on the railways and in some ships. o OECD: www.oecd.org/env/policies/ http://europa.eu.int/comm/ environment/ taxes/index.htm enveco/studies2.htm#16. ENDS Daily, June 28, 2000.

10 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 KYOTO AND CLIMATE Someone must make a move

Reluctance elsewhere means the EU must now act, say two German political scientists

SINCE IT IS CLEAR that international for renewables and the efficient use climate policy lacks both momentum of energy, the dismantling of climate- and leadership, it is now essential inimical subsidies, standards for en- that a strong player should step in ergy efficiency, and climate-friendly to remedy the situation and at the public procurement. moment that can only be the EU. It will be of utmost importance for Several countries that are willing the protection of the climate, both in to act have been waiting for the the medium and the long term, and United States to join them in fulfill- for the future development of the in- ing the commitments made at Kyoto. ternational climate regime, to have But the USA, as well as some other the involvement of the developing countries, has an interest in delaying countries. Their needs must be ad- the process. The more time elapses dressed first. before anything is done, the easier it Immediate emphasis might focus will be for them to claim that their on an adapting strategy to future undertakings are either no longer climate changes. The resources realistic or impossible of fulfillment. needed for this could be obtained by In order to get the international setting up an adaptation fund fi- process of negotiation moving, the lution of the so-called sink catego- nanced by a transaction charge on EU should assemble those countries ries under the protocol. all Kyoto mechanisms. Effort should that are committed to a strong policy Then the EU should set targets for be directed for instance toward for climate protection, thereby creat- implementation of the Kyoto obliga- elaboration of the Clean Develop- ing the atmosphere needed for bring- tions within the Union, with possi- ment mechanism (CDM) under Arti- ing new life into the process. ble wider coordination. The vast po- cle 12 of the protocol. That would A top priority to this end should tential for low-cost and no-cost op- ensure due recognition of the needs be prompt ratification of the Kyoto tions for reducing the emissions of of the developing countries, but Protocol, to ensure its coming into greenhouse gases in the EU and else- without compromising ecological force as soon as possible. It is abso- effectiveness. Moreover the EU lutely essential, in view of the Sen- should, together with its allies out- ate-driven resistance of the US to Could help minimize side the Union, start a dialogue with ratifying, that the EU, Japan, and concern about the developing countries in order to Russia should do so. Their combined arrive at an equitable allocation of ratification is required in order to economic competition emissions rights. meet the minimum threshold of 55 If the EU were to take the lead as per cent of the total CO2 emissions of here proposed, the result could be a Annex 1 Parties (at 1990 levels). reinvigoration of the Kyoto Protocol The EU will therefore have to take where has been demonstrated in nu- and the creation of further incen- steps to persuade its members to merous studies. tives for governments to implement agree to its ratifying, without wait- A coordination of policies, espe- the policies and measures needed for ing for other countries to make a cially with Japan, could help to mini- mitigating climate change. It could move, as well as starting to explore mize concern about economic com- also help to persuade people that the possibility of getting Russia and petitiveness. The proposed coordina- economic wellbeing can be improved Japan to ratify the protocol too. All tion should not rely on common, bind- without having to burn increasing of which will call for carefully de- ing measures, but should rest on a amounts of fossil fuels. By taking over signed diplomatic efforts, allowing transparent and accountable pro- the leadership in climate matters, for compromise on all sides. cess. To be successful the EU should the EU could ensure the progress As part of the bargaining process, concentrate on a limited number of needed to protect the Earths cli- the EU may have to show greater measures upon which agreement mate. flexibility in regard to the Kyoto would be most likely. mechanisms. It should for instance A leadership group of committed be possible to agree to a charge on countries might then demonstrate The above is a digest of Breaking the Im- all transactions involving trading in that ecological protection and sus- passe: Forging an EU Leadership Initiative on Climate Change. By Hermann E. Ott and emissions permits, as well as on tainable economic growth are not Sebastian Oberthür, 1999. Published by only compatible, but mutually rein- strict procedures for monitoring, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Hackesche Höfe, reporting, and verification of reduc- forcing. Potential areas for fruitful Rosenthaler Str. 40/41, D-10178 Berlin, Ger- tions. A comprehensive plan should coordination could include green many. E-mail: [email protected]. Internet: www. enable the EU to prevent further di- taxation, a large-scale effort in R&D boell.de.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 19 TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT Disturbing trend revealed

Effects have become worse, and if nothing is done they will continue that way

MUCH OF THE GAIN to the environment from cleaner vehicles and fuels is being eroded by an increase in traffic volume and a larger proportion of heavier vehicles with more powerful engines. Long suspected, this development has now been confirmed in the first of a series of reports on trends in transportation that are to come every year from the European En- vironment Agency. From this it appears that the effects of road traffic on the environment have become worse and if nothing is done to check it, the trend will continue at least until 2010. The agency has set forth a great volume of data in support of its views. The transportation sector as a whole is responsible for 26 per cent of the emissions of carbon dioxide in the EU, 85 per cent of which comes

20 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 lines have shrunk by 8 per cent. A EEA REPORT good one per cent of the EU land area is now covered by roads, the propor- Link between growth and tion being highest in Belgium, where it is 4 per cent, and lowest in Swe- den, about 0.5 per cent. energy use still unbroken Notable among the few improve- ments is that lead has practically disappeared from petrol, and that ve- THE European Environment Agency, 23 per cent. The proportion is low- hicles are individually nine tenths an EU organ, now intends to issue est in the UK, only 0.9 per cent. The less noisy than they were in 1970. annual reports on the state of the en- EU target of 12-per-cent use of re- The volume of traffic has however vironment as a means of bringing newable energy by 2010 will require in the meantime doubled, so that 30 pressure to bear on legislators and significant additional initiatives, per cent of the population is now others who may be able to start warns the EEA in its report. being disturbed by noise. moves for its improvement. Price developments between 1985 The first report1 covers just about The EEA puts a great part of the and 1996 have hardly contributed to blame for the bad aspect of these all the environmental issues that are a more efficient use of energy. Al- developments on the private car, al- of importance to the EU describing though the proportion of taxes in ready the chief and an ever growing in particular the success of efforts final prices has increased for practi- form of travel. Not only is the total to inject the environmental aspect cally all types of fuel, both oil and distance travelled increasing, but into key policy areas, as urged by the electricity have actually become each vehicle is carrying fewer peo- EU heads of government at their cheaper. During the 90s the price of ple. Most of the car trips are short, meeting in Cardiff, Wales, in 1998. fuel for transportation did increase too, half of them being less than 6 By setting forth trend indicators somewhat, but for all fuels the real km and 10 per cent less than one. for each policy area, the report aims price was lower in 1996 than it had An attempt has been made to de- to give decision makers at all levels been in 1985. termine price trends for travel both the possibility of judging whether In 1997 the average gross con- in actual figures and as a comparison developments are proceeding in the sumption of energy per capita ashore desired direction or call for further between modes. The EEA has found in the EU was 3.8 tons in oil equiva- that whereas the cost of travel by action. lent, although with marked varia- car has fallen in many countries, it It is noted that economic growth tions from country to country. Lead- has become more expensive to use within the EU is continuing to re- ing the list here were Luxembourg public transportation. quire the use of ever more energy. and Finland, with 8.0 and 6.4 tons It is also noted that road traffic In other words, the link between respectively. Lowest were Portugal does not pay its external costs, aris- GDP growth and an increasing use and Greece, with a per capita con- ing from noise, exhaust emissions, of energy has still not been broken. sumption of 2.1 and 2.4 tons. congestion, and so forth. According The EU countries dependence on As regards greenhouse gases, to the agency, road traffic now pays fossil fuels and nuclear power re- emissions increased between 1990 no more than 30 per cent of these mains considerable. Barely 6 per and 1996 in all the EU countries but costs. Railways are somewhat bet- cent of the energy used in the EU Germany, Britain, and Luxembourg. ter, with 39 per cent. stems from renewables. Sweden is The greatest increase, 40 per cent, shown to be best in this respect, tak- occurred in Denmark. The EEA fore- PER ELVINGSON ing 27 per cent of its needs from such Continued on next page > Are we moving in the right direction? In- sources, closely followed by Austria, dicators on transport and environment integration in the EU. TERM 2000. Can be obtained from the national sales outlets for EU publications. Also available free of charge as pdf file on internet: www.eea.eu.int.

EEA EEA, European Environment Agency, is an EU body for gathering, analysis, and spreading of information on the state of the environment in Eu- rope. It was started 1993 as a result of a decision made in 1990 by the EC Council of Ministers. Its offices are in Copenhagen. Participants include Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein besides the 15 EU member countries,

but any European country can join. © SVEN ÄNGERMARK Great efforts will be required in policy making if environmental goals are to be attained in several important fields – for example as regards renewable energy.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 21 > Continued from previous page casts a rise between 1990 and 2010 of 6 per cent in the EU as a whole, noting at the same time that great reductions will have to be made in very many of the member countries if the EU is to meet its commitments under the Kyoto protocol. At least one favourable trend is reported in the matter of the climate: the emissions of methane dropped between 1990 and 1996, mainly as a result of reduced coal mining in Ger- many and the United Kingdom. The trend has been much better for acidifying and ozone-forming substances. The emissions of sulphur dioxide went down by 60 per cent between 1980 and 1996 (by 40 per cent from 1990), meaning that the target for 2000 has already been attained. Since 1985 the area of eco- system receiving depositions in excess of the critical load has shrunk by 40 per cent. On the other hand a considerable proportion of the population is still being exposed to ozone in concen- © PER ELVINGSON trations well above the guide values NEW PROCESS for the protection of health, and farm crops and forests are in many cases being subject to concentra- For cleaner diesel fuel tions above the critical levels. Although the emissions of ozone- It seems there is a possibility of us- isms to remove the sulphur in die- forming substances nitrogen oxides ing microorganisms for desulphur- sel, eliminates both the need for hy- and volatile organic compounds izing diesel oil as an alternative to drogen production and the expense have undergone a distinct decline the current method. It is at any rate of operating the high-temperature, high-pressure hydrodesulphuriza- since 1980, the EEA insists that in now being tried in a three-year re- order to achieve the targets for 2010, search project financed by the US tion process. Nutrients for the bio- substantial further reductions will Department of Energy. The idea has catalyst can be obtained from the be needed. come from Petro Star, a small refin- components of agricultural fertilizers. While noting that the proportion ery company in Alaska. The aim is The nutrients that are not consumed by the biocatalyst can be removed of environmental taxes in the EU tax to develop a way of producing diesel system has indeed increased, the fuel that would be especially suitable from the process wastewater by conventional treatment techniques. EEA observes that it is still small, for small refineries, to meet the re- being no more than 5-10 per cent of quirements for a still lower sulphur The major technical challenge is the tax total (highest in Portugal, content that will come into force in to develop a system in which the bio- lowest in Austria). the United States in 2006 (AN 2/00, logical process proceeds rapidly A general conclusion of the report p.20). enough to remove sulphur at com- is that as regards the integrating of Hydrodesulphurization is the cur- mercially acceptable rates and in the environmental concerns into key rent refinery method for removing presence of oil (which can inhibit the economic sectors, the indicators sulphur from diesel fuel. But this microbial action). employed for energy and transpor- process is not only costly. It also re- Petro Star believes the solutions tation show there to be a movement quires separate facilities to be con- lie primarily in genetically engineer- away from the targets, and that price structed to generate the large ing microbes to boost the rate and incentives are running counter to amounts of hydrogen needed to con- activity of the biocatalysts and in them. vert sulphur impurities in diesel into designing specialized process equip- hydrogen sulphide. And there is also ment that will produce a cleaner die- PER ELVINGSON the further expense for the facilities sel fuel as well as minimizing bio- 1 Environmental Signals 2000. European needed to convert the smelly, poison- catalyst losses. Environment Agency. Can be obtained from ous hydrogen sulphide gas into envi- the national sales outlets for EU publications. ronmentally safe elemental sulphur. Source: US Department of Energy. August Also available free of charge as pdf file at The proposed biocatalytic process, 16, 2000. www.eea.eu.int. using selected strains of microorgan-

22 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 DUTCH EMISSION CEILINGS More stringent than directives

Environmentalist organizations are urging adoption of the most advanced scenario.

FOUR DUTCH ministries have worked bear the main burden. For transpor- limit their ability to reduce the ef- out options to enable the Netherlands tation a big extra cut could be made fects of SO2 and NOx, and least of all to go beyond its international com- by inland shipping, while for indus- to reduce the pollution from VOCs. mitments to cut emissions of the air try a number of technologies are The Dutch research institute pollutants that are responsible for available, of which the most cost-ef- RIVM has calculated the effects of the acidification, eutrophication, and the ficient should be chosen and imple- depositions of acid and nitrogen on formation of ground-level ozone. mented by means of an a proposed the soil in ten valuable nature re- All three of the proposed scenarios new system for trading of NOx reserves that are situated in areas with will cost considerably more in im- duction obligations. the lowest depositions (the coastal plementation than current policies Transportation and industry would zone and the northern provinces). would. There have been two reasons also have to contribute most of the This includes part of the dunes, the for developing them. Firstly, to en- cuts in VOC emissions, partly because Wadden Sea and its islands, and sure fulfillment of international some areas of raised bog, heath, and commitments, it will be necessary fen. to set lower ceilings for the Nether- Virtually all cuts in Even there it appeared it would lands, in case reduction should ap- not be easy to reach a safe deposi- pear to be stalling. Secondly the min- ammonia have to be tion level in 2010. It will be only pos- istries want to know how the Neth- sible when ceilings in conformity with erlands could meet a demand for made in farming the Commissions proposal have been even lower international ceilings. adopted by the EU member states, Three options are put forward for and emissions of ammonia in the cutting emissions of sulphur dioxide, of the coming EU regulation of sol- Netherlands have been brought nitrogen oxides, volatile organic vents and light motorcycles, although down to the level of the advanced compounds, and ammonia by 2010. consumers would also be involved. scenario and those in the regions of Even the least far-reaching of these, Virtually all the cuts in NH3 emis- the ten nature reserves reduced still dubbed Gothenburg, is considerably sions would have to be made in farm- further. stricter than what the Netherlands ing. Measures would include limiting The ministries suggest that the committed itself to under last years the nitrogen in fodder, restricting government should choose one of UN protocol of the same name, when stock keeping, lowering the emis- their proposed options for the coun- the ceilings were: for SO2 50 kt, for sions from stables, and injecting trys new plan for the environment NOx 266 kt, for VOCs 191 kt, and for dung into the soil instead of spread- (NMP4), that is now being drafted. NH3 128 kilotons. ing it on top. They note that going beyond inter- Compared with the countrys cur- The report in which all this has national commitments could provide rent targets for emissions, all the been set forth was compiled jointly substantial benefits for the environ- options would cost significantly more. by the ministries of agriculture, en- ment and public health, as well as The extra cost of Gothenburg vironment, transport and economic strengthening the Dutch position in would be euro 199m (DF439m), that affairs. Stressing that the emissions negotiations. of the more stringent National Plus of the four air pollutants remain too The Dutch environmentalist or- nearly euro 450m, and of the most high, it estimates, on the basis of ganizations, headed by the Nether- ambitious Advanced Plus option preliminary data, that strict national lands Society for Nature and Envi- some euro 680m. limits would do much to reduce NH3 ronment, have requested the minis- Most of the ceilings proposed for pollution in the Netherlands, but ters to choose the advanced scenario the Netherlands are stricter not only that cross-border transports would for the Dutch acidification policy, than in the UN protocol, but and to add additional re- also than those in last years gional reductions in or- proposal by the European Alternative emission ceilings for the Netherlands in 2010. der to reach safe deposi- Commission for a directive The scenario figures, which are preliminary, may change in the tion levels in 2010 for the on national emission ceil- final RIVM calculations. ten best-situated nature ings (see table). Scenarios reserves. Oil refineries would have PRO1 NEC2 Gothenburg National Plus Advanced JAN FRANSEN to deliver the biggest cuts for SO2 50 50 46 42 32 Stichting Natuur en Milieu (The SO2, essentially by changing NOx 266 238 248 226 210 Netherlands Society for Nature over from firing with oil resi- VOCs 191 156 178 164 146 due to using gas (after gasi- and Environment). NH3 128 104 108 99 84 fication of the oil residue). 1 Commitments under the Gothenburg Protocol. As for NOx, transportation 2 Commission’s proposal. and industry would have to

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 23 EASTERN GERMANY Air quality improved ... possibly

Technological efficiency, fuel conversion, and diminished industrial acitivity have brought down emissions of carbon dioxide at least to West German levels.

IN THE FORMER German Democratic Republic, grey pungent smoke belched from millions of chimneys. City buildings were shrouded in a veil of soot, the sombre monotony occasionally punctuated by decaying statuary. Chronic respiratory dis- eases and forest degradation were the grim parables of an archaic energy industry, incapable of reconciliation with human health or the environment. Sulphurous lignite, or soft brown coal, was used to meet 70 per cent of primary energy needs. Hard-currency shortages prevented the implementation of efficient power plants for imported gas and oil. Lack of financ- ing did on the other hand mercifully stall the planned construction of 10,000 MW of nuclear capacity from the Soviet Union at 1830 MW.

Dust precipitators were rarely em- © CHRISTER ÅGREN ployed in the lignite power stations As it was in the GDR. Since unification the emissions of air pollutants from road traffic have of the GDR. Desulphurization never greatly increased, but dropped from electricity generation. passed the experimental stage, and local air pollution was routinely suburbs and smaller towns were for force is engaged in the restoration countervailed by increasing the the most part connected to newly of hydrological and ecological bal- height of smokestacks. established gas networks. Lignite ances in the ill-reputed strip mining There would have been no pros- briquettes disappeared as the main- regions (lunar landscapes) of Lau- pect of fulfilling the 30-per-cent re- stay of space heating except in un- satia, near the Polish border, and in quirement of the Helsinki Protocol renovated housing. the chemical triangle of Bitterfeld/ for the reduction of sulphur trans- Output in lignite mining has Halle/Leipzig. ports, except by inflating the base- One of the last German offenders year data. A figure of 2.5 million tons on the list of 100 worst emitters of for sulphur emissions, correspond- Air pollution reduced by sulphur in Europe,4 the 30-year-old ing to 5 million tons of sulphur di- the widespread decline lignite power plant at Lippendorf oxide, was officially submitted to the (600 MW), was shut down at last ECE Secretariat for 1980,1 but an of productive industry March. Eastern Germanys largest analysis of the data for fuel con- power company, the Vereinigte En- sumption indicated only 3.9 million ergiewerke AG (Veag), has installed tons of SO2 having actually been desulphurization equipment at the emitted.2 By the end of the decade dropped to 65 million tons a year. 3000 MW lignite plant it inherited at the annual production of lignite had About 50 million tons of crude lig- Jänschwalde, which formerly emit- risen from 253 to 320 million tons, nite are burnt in base-load power ted up to 400,000 tons of SO2 annu- boosting emissions of sulphur diox- stations, the remainder being em- ally.5 ide to 5.2 million tons, or one-third ployed in heating plants, industrial Highly advanced lignite power more than the level calculated for processes, and briquette manufac- stations have been built at Lippen- 1980.3 turing. The GDRs widely diversified dorf (1866 MW), Schwarze Pumpe After national reunification, most but highly polluting lignite chemi- (1600 MW), and Boxberg (907 MW), of the municipal utilities in eastern cal combines have been replaced by the last being flanked by 1000 MW Germany switched to natural gas or modern petrochemical complexes. of reconstructed GDR capacity. A new oil for heating services and cogen- Whereas 140,000 were once em- 900 MW lignite plant at Schkopau, eration plants. Environmentally fa- ployed in the lignite industry and its south of Halle, is owned and oper- vourable district-heating systems subsidiary operations, less than ated by a German/Anglo-American continued to serve large cities, while 20,000 now remain. Part of the work- consortium.

24 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 These state-of-the-art installa- of all heating energy consumption to for CO2, which could make it lucra- tions will have contributed signifi- older buildings. While the majority tive for Veag to employ less lignite. cantly to the 93 per cent overall re- of homes and businesses in the east The government of Saxony has nev- duction of sulphur dioxide emissions have been modernized with the as- ertheless announced that amended projected by the government of sistance of post-reunification loan legislation would be formulated for Saxony for the year 2000 (from their programs, significantly greater displacing the 225 inhabitants of 1990 level).6 Air pollution has already funding would be required to mount Heuersdorf. The success of this re- been reduced by the widespread de- a comparable effort for the rest of newed assault on communal sover- cline of productive industry. Despite Germany. eignty remains doubtful, however, having nearly one-fifth of the popu- Because of stringent emission since excess generating capacities lation, eastern Germany presently standards for furnaces, nitrogen throughout Europe have rendered accounts for only 3.5 per cent of na- oxides from traffic have superseded the destruction of human settle- tional German exports. Household SO2 as the chief airborne pollutant. ments anachronistic. consumption of electricity is typi- Ideally, the lignite mining regions cally 2000 kWh/yr, about half the could become fields of reconciliation. western German average. Since ad- All remaining lignite In June this year, Europes largest ditional base-load generation is not wind park was inaugurated at Klett- required under these conditions, con- plants will have ceased witz, on the site of a former strip mine struction of a second 907 MW block operation by 2040 west of Schwarze Pumpe. The 38 planned for the Boxberg power sta- wind turbines exhibit above-average tion has been postponed indefinitely. performance in the deforested land- In combustion lignite emits more scape. carbon dioxide than any other fossil With unemployment reaching 25 per The state of Brandenburg already fuel. Generating a billion kilowatt- cent in some parts of eastern Ger- fulfills 4.6 per cent of its electricity hours (1 TWh) of electricity requires many, workers shuttle by hundreds requirements with wind power. Al- nearly a million tons of crude lignite, of thousands in cars and buses to jobs though that is too little to eliminate releasing about the same weight of in the west. In the early 90s, long- fossil fuels from the energy equation, carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. distance truck transport outdistanced it does stimulate speculation on the At a current combined output of 50 that on the railways, which had pre- post-lignite era. Jänschwalde will in TWh/yr, the Veag and Schkopau plants viously handled 70 per cent of all any case have been shut down by the are thus responsible for approxi- freight traffic (although a third con- end of the next decade, and all the mately 50 million tons of CO2 annu- sisted of lignite transports). Because remaining lignite plants will have ally. of low population densities, smog ceased operation by 2040. To date, Technological efficiency, fuel con- alerts remain rare in the east. Per- no one seems to know what will fol- version, and diminished industrial sistent forest damage in mountain- low. activity have cut pro-capita emissions ous regions is however indicative of JEFFREY H. MICHEL of carbon dioxide to 11 tons per year, excessive concentrations of nitrogen which is half the former GDR figure oxides and ozone, as well as of the Jeffrey H. Michel is an American engineer and roughly the same as western cumulative effects of acid precipita- who has been involved with the environment German levels. However, an addi- tion. of central Europe since the 1980’s. He serves tional 100 million tons of annual Other conflicts are the result of as the community energy coordinator of emissions must be eliminated if Ger- inflexible energy policies. The Sorbian Heuersdorf (www.heuersdorf.de). many is to achieve its self-imposed (Lausatian) town of Horno is facing Selected references: reduction goal of 25 per cent for CO imminent destruction by lignite 2 1. Nature Demands Stricter Limits. Stichting by 2005. Realizing this objective mining for the Jänschwalde power Natuur en Milieu, 1989, p. 29. would be equivalent to a twofold station, and the 700-year-old village abandonment of lignite power pro- of Heuersdorf near Leipzig is simi- 2. Cord Schwartau, “Die Entwicklung der duction in the east. But in order to larly threatened by mining for the Umwelt in der DDR. Neue Probleme durch facilitate the phasing out of the Lippendorf plant. Yet recent court Renaissance der Braunkohle.” In: Umwelt- countrys 19 nuclear power stations, decisions have fallen in favour of probleme und Umweltbewußtsein in der DDR, fossil-fuel plant operators are being these communities. The operating Köln. 1985, p. 19. tacitly encouraged by the federal permit for a mine serving Jänsch- 3. Jeffrey H. Michel, “What it will cost.” Acid government to maintain present walde was revoked in April 2000 News, October 1991, pp. 1, 12. capacities. bacause the planning authorities 4. Sulphur emissions from large point sources The consequent stabilization of had failed to assess the effect on the in Europe (second edition). The Swedish NGO lignite for electricity generation shifts environment. Three months later, Secretariat on Acid Rain, 1995. the burden of CO2 reduction to other Heuersdorf successfully contested a sectors, where climate protection devastation law drawn up on the 5. Bo Thunberg, “Air Pollution in the GDR.” remains a tedious task. For instance, premise that a monopoly electricity Acid Magazine, No. 8, September 1989, p. some 24 million German dwellings market could be maintained indefi- 19. are currently in need of moderniza- nitely in eastern Germany. 6. Kajo Schommer, “Brauchen die neuen tion, but barely two per cent are be- The verdict refuting this assump- Bundesländer eine neue Energiepolitik?” In: ing fully renovated each year to meet tion constituted an opportunity to Ansichtssache Energie, PDS Fraktion im applicable insulation standards. A realign energy strategies towards Sächsischen Landtag, p. 45. recent estimate ascribes 95 per cent future trading in emission permits

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 25 Recent 1000 tons sulphur publications Global sulphur emissions Transportation on internet The Car Lines newsletter, reporting regularly on transportation policy all around the world, is now available without charge on http://walshcarlines.com. There are also some background docu- ments at the same address. World Transport Policy & Practice, a quarterly journal edited by John White- legg, is also available, free of charge, at www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/general/

GLOBAL SO2 EMISSIONS Cutting Your Car Use (2000) By Anna Semlyen. Under the subhead Show a steady increase Save Money, Be Healthy, Be Green, this book aims at convincing people, through argument and practical advice, SINCE 1850 the global emissions of elling off, rapid increases are taking of the advantages of cutting down on the sulphur resulting from human activi- place in Asia. The methods used for use of private cars. ties are estimated to have increased the estimates fail however to give a 160 pp. Pocket format. £4.95 plus £1 by a factor of sixty, and despite the full picture of the great reductions postage and packing. Published by extensive measures lately taken in achieved in Europe and North Green Books of Foxhole, Dartington, Europe and North America they were America since 1980. As explained by Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EB, UK. Internet: still increasing in 1990 mainly be- Janja Husar of the study group: www.greenbooks.co.uk. cause of a rapid increase in the burn- Our methodology over the 150- ing of coal in China. year period is consistent and the Bringing the Eurovignette into the To arrive at these estimates1 a trends are valid for long-term trends. electronic age (2000) common methodology was applied As far as to be accurate for recent A promising way of making road transportation pay for the damage it causes for each country and year. The fig- and short-term trends, 10 years, is to introduce a kilometre charge for ures for emissions were based on the probably not. In the last 20 years heavy freight carriers. This T&E report net production of fuel (production many environmental controls have examines ways of modifying existing plus imports minus exports), the been introduced in various coun- European legislation so as to allow for sulphur content, and information on tries. Thus the estimates of sulphur fair and efficient pricing. sulphur retention. Emissions from content of consumed fuel might need T&E Report 00/4. Printed copy avail- ships were not included in the esti- adjustments as the current informa- able from European Federation for mates although such emissions have tion on controls becomes available. Transport and Environment (T&E), previously been estimated to account The study shows coal to be the Boulevard de Waterloo 34, 1000 Brus- for about 5 per cent of all the sul- main source of anthropogenic emis- sels, Belgium. Can also be downloaded phur coming from the combustion sions of sulphur since 1970 the free of charge from the T&E website of fuel. steady increase in the global total www.t-e.nu. Whereas global sulphur emissions being almost entirely due to in- were estimated to have been 1.2 creased coal burning. In the regions T&E conference on transport, en- million tons 1850, by 1990 they had where emissions has decreased it largement and the environment (2000) risen to 71.5 million tons. The slight can be explained as a result of Proceedings from a conference in March decline that had started in 1913 con- switching to fuels with a lower sul- this year on the environmental conse- tinued through the first world war. phur content. Only in a few coun- quences of transportation in an en- There was a marked decrease dur- tries, one of which is Germany, has larged Europe. T&E Report 00/3. Avail- ing the great depression of 1930-32, flue-gas desulphurization produced able from T&E, see above. followed by increases right through any noticeable effect. 1944, in part as a result of the effects What is the Aarhus Convention? PER ELVINGSON A 12-page pamphlet describing this con- of World War II. Except for a drop in 1981-1983, primarily due to a de- vention of 1998 establishing the right 1 Estimating Historical Anthropogenic Glo- of citizens to have information concern- cline in the demand for oil during the global recession at that time, the bal Sulfur Emission Patterns for the Period ing the environment and to participate 1850-1990. By Allen S. Lefohn, Janja D. postwar years have shown a con- in the decision making. Husar, and Rudolf B. Husar. In Atmospheric Available from Mara Silina, EEB, tinuous increase. Environment 33 (1999) 3435-3444. The Boulevard de Waterloo 34, 1000 Brus- From a comparison of emissions study can be read in toto on http://capita.wustl. sels, Belgium. Tel. +32.2.289 13 05. E- from North America, Europe, and edu/CAPITA/CapitaReports/GlobSEmissions mail: [email protected]. See also Asia it appears that whereas those /GlobS1850_1990.htm. www.participate.org. from the two former have been lev-

26 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 Recent publications from the Secretariat

The worst and the best Need not cost so much Large combustion plants are by far the A detailed examination of the Commis- greatest source of emissions of acidi- sions proposed directive for national fying substances in Europe. Here are ceilings on emissions of air pollutants up-to-date lists a) of the largest single shows that they could be reduced at a emitters of sulphur, and b) those power much lesser cost than has previously plants that are already doing better been assumed provided the member than is supposed to be attainable from countries really take their plans for deal- the use of the best available tech- ing with the climate problem seriously. nique proposed for EU legislation. See Getting more for less. An alternative also article starting on page 1 of this assessment of the NEC directive. By issue. Christer Ågren. APC Series No. 13. 1999. Atmospheric emissions from large point sources in Europe. By Mark Barrett. APC Series No. 15. 2000. To reduce air pollution at sea The outlook for 2010 The decline of air pollution from land Even if all the planned measures aimed at cutting down sources is bringing the matter of ships the emissions of acidifying air pollutants during the next emissions ever more to the fore. This ten years should in fact be carried out, study examines various ways of dealing acidification is likely to remain a with that problem, describing the avail- threat to many plant and animal spe- able techniques as well as the possibili- cies as well as whole ecosystems. ties of applying economic instruments to the same end. In this study the outlook has been examined in the light of various as- Economic instruments for reducing sumptions as to the possible trend of emissions from sea transport. By Per Kågeson. APC Series No. 11. 1999. emissions. It appears from it that the problems of continued acidification may have been considerably underes- timated. Summarized Acidification 2010. By H. Pleijel, I. Andersson and G. Emissions from ships could be reduced Lövblad. APC Series No. 10. 1999. very cost-effectively compared with what would have to be done to achieve simi- lar results ashore. The study advertised Ozone over southern Europe above is here summarized in an 8-page pamphlet in eleven languages: English, This is the first overall survey to have German, French, Flemish, Danish, been made of the problems associated Polish, Russian, Estonian, Lettish, with ground-level ozone in southern Lithuanian, and Finnish. Europe, where concentrations are fre- quently exceeding levels that can be injurious both to health and vegeta- tion. How to order. Single copies of any of the above can be had from the Secretariat (free of charge within Europe). Please call for quotation if Ground-level ozone. A problem more copies are required. All these publications can be downloaded largely ignored in southern Europe. at no cost as pdf files on www. acidrain.org. Select “Publications”. By Håkan Pleijel. APC Series No. 12.

2000. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Sex, sulphur, and a fishy business

Could a film be of use to you as a means Film & TV AB and shown on TV both in of driving home to people the problems Norway and Sweden. A winner of sev- of acidification in a rather unconven- eral prizes at international film festi- tional manner? If so, Sex, sulphur, and vals. a fishy business may be what you want. Sponsored by the secretariat among oth- Distributed as VHS video. 58 minutes. ers, it has been produced by Dockhouse Single copies free of charge within Europe.

ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000 27 restricted during pollution episodes should be lowered from 400 to 200 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre of air. o Public air-quality reporting should Coming be improved. o Two new grants to be added to the events existing program for the purchase of Italian cities 2nd Euro Environment 2000 Confer- clean vehicles. Purchasers of LPG taxis Traffic pollution in Italian cities is hav- ence on Industry and Environmental will be able to claim 20,000 francs (3000 ing very significant health effects, ac- Performance. Aalborg, Denmark, Octo- euros). Anyone buying an electric moped cording to a study released in June. It ber 18-20, 2000. Information: Else Her- will be eligible for a grant of 2000 francs. estimates that vehicle emissions of fine fort. Tel. +45-9935-5555. E-mail: euro@ Speaking in July, Voynet attacked particulates (PM ) account for 4.7 per akkc.dk 10 French cities for not doing enough to cent of all deaths of people aged over 30 prevent increases in road traffic. A law Sustainable Building 2000. October 22- and for nearly 29 per cent of acute res- passed in 1996 requires Frances 65 cit- 25,2000, Maastricht, The Netherlands. piratory disorders in children under 15. ies with more than 100,000 residents to Information: Organizing Committee If particulate levels were reduced to draw up urban transport plans, but only SB2000, Novem, P.O. Box 17, 6130 AA the EU limit of 40 micrograms per cubic 10 of them had sent in their proposals Sittard, The Netherlands. E-mail: SB2000 metre 2,000 deaths would be prevented by the June deadline. Voynet expressed @novem.nl; Internet: www.novem.nl/ annually, the study says. Cutting PM 10 concern in particular over a lack of sb2000. to 30 µg/m3 is estimated to avoid 3,500 measures to tackle the use of private car. deaths, and a limit of 20 µg/m3 5,500 XIV IUAPPA Clean Air Conference – deaths. The study was carried out jointly ENDS Daily, June 22 and July 3, 2000. Peru 2000. Miraflores, Peru, November by WHO and Italys national environ- 26-30, 2000. Information: SPAGAL, P.O. mental protection agency, ANPA. Box 14, 0246 Lima 14, Peru. E-mail: ENDS Daily, June 22, 2000. [email protected]. COP 6 – Sixth Conference of the Par- Greek deaths from ties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Hague, Nether- air pollution lands, November 13-24, 2000. According to estimates made by Green- China International Environment and peace Greece, air pollution is killing Renewable Energy Conference and Ex- 1300 people a year in this country. The hibition. Beijing, P. R. China. November calculation was made partly from infor- 28-December 1, 2000. Information: Yong mation in official reports, partly by use Zhang, tel. (+86) (10) 65157760. E-mail: of World Health Organization method- [email protected]. ology. Greenpeace wants a ban on diesel taxis, which it says are responsible Executive Body for the Convention on for more than 20 per cent of the total Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollu- vehicle mileage in Athens. It would also tion. Geneva, Switzerland, November 28- like to see investment in tramways and Energy Globe Award December 1, 2000. light rail, improved energy efficiency in . Energiesparverband in Austria will O.Ö Acid Rain 2000: 6th International Con- buildings, and more generation of en- be giving an international award for the ference on Acidic Deposition. Tsukuba, ergy from renewables, and the planting best sustainable solutions in respect of Japan, December 10-16, 2000. Inquiries: of forests around urban areas. energy efficiency and the generation of Acid Rain 2000, c/o International Com- energy from renewable sources. Compa- ENDS Daily, July 7, 2000. munication Specialists, Sabo Kaikan- nies, public and private organizations bekkan, 2-7-4, Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda- and individuals from all over the world ku, Tokyo 102-8646, Japan. E-mail: French air are invited to submit their projects be- [email protected]. Last June the French minister of envi- fore October 20. ronment, Dominique Voynet, put forward Further information: O.Ö. Energiesparver- EU Environment Council. December 18- a number of proposals for the improve- band, Landstraße 45, A-4020 Linz, Austria. 19, 2000. ment of air quality. Tel. +43-732-6584-4382. Internet: Nitrogen. 2nd Conference. Potomac, o The limit at which traffic shall be www.esv.or.at/energyglobe/ Maryland, USA, October 14-18, 2001. In-

formation: Rhonda Kranz, The Ecologi- ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

○○○○○○○○ cal Society of America, 1707 H Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006, USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Internet: Electronic subscription http://esa.sdsc.edu/n2001. Would you like to help us reduce ex- line, or download it in pdf-format. Second International Conference on penses, and at the same time get Acid If you are interested, send an e-mail Plants and Environmental Pollution. News sooner? We can offer electronic with your name and e-mail address to: Lucknow, India, November 15-19, 2001. subscriptions free of charge. [email protected]. Organized by International Society of Subscribers will receive an e-mail no- You can, if you wish, continue to re- Environmental Botanists and National tifying them of publication and giving ceive the printed version while at the Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow. brief notices of the articles in the issue. same time subscribing electronically. Information: K.J. Ahmad, e-mail: nbri@ By linking up to our homepage you can Just let us know if you want both. lw1.dot.net.in. Internet: www. icpep.org. then either read the whole number on-

28 ACID NEWS NO. 3, OCTOBER 2000