Acid lessons? LRTAP implementation and effectiveness

Abstract

The article reviews current literature on LRTAP implementation and effectiveness, and suggests ten main 'acid answers' and lessons based on the literature so far: first, LRTAP is a high-compliance regime; second, important causal factors for compliance levels are found outside the sphere of 'environmental politics'; third, 'national interests' based on cost/benefit calculations can roughly predict levels of compliance; fourth, especially in the NO(x) context, domestic political factors must also be included in order to understand compliance levels; fifth, although LRTAP has had important arena functions, much of the reductions would save taken place anyway; sixth, the transboundary acidification problems have been reduced, but the transboundary 'solution' and getting below 'critical loads' in both the rural and urban environment is a venture extending well into the next century; seventh, LRTAP's scientific-political complex has been very valuable; eighth, provision of information has been the important LRTAP mechanism; ninth, research has so far been mainly complementary; tenth, improving knowledge of the regime-domestic interplay, including institutional access and participation issues as well as the EC-LRTAP interplay, is amongst the main challenges for further research.