Landfills are the most common and easiest methods to dispose the municipal waste in Romania and still prevails in current waste management options. This type of critical infrastructure was designed to dispose urban waste generated over years or even decades and ultimately led to create new landforms in urban landscape. On the other hand, these sites are major sources of complex pollution unfulfilling EU regulations, being scheduled to be closed. This paper aims to analyze landfills as anthropogenic landforms by applying GIS techniques emphasizing them in a geographical context and not only in situ. The location of these sites usually on alluvial plains of rivers leading to positive landforms that may change hydrogeomorphology dynamics or to be exposed to the floods. The other side, their location in hilly or mountainous regions increase vulnerability to other geomorphological process (gully erosion, landslide). Also, the extension of human settlements and land use is influenced by the presence of such a site either it is closed. The implications of these landforms are varied and must be linked to geographical realities from around. Thus, the mapping of these anthropogenic landforms contribute to a better understanding of the systemic interactions from local environment. This approach may be an important tool for EIA studies, in the process of rehabilitation, post-monitoring and reintegration of these landfills.
{"title":"Landfills as Anthropogenic Landforms in Urban Environment from Neamţ County.","authors":"F. Mihai, L. Apostol, A. Ursu, Pavel Ichim","doi":"10.5281/ZENODO.19125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.19125","url":null,"abstract":"Landfills are the most common and easiest methods to dispose the municipal waste in Romania and still prevails in current waste management options. This type of critical infrastructure was designed to dispose urban waste generated over years or even decades and ultimately led to create new landforms in urban landscape. On the other hand, these sites are major sources of complex pollution unfulfilling EU regulations, being scheduled to be closed. This paper aims to analyze landfills as anthropogenic landforms by applying GIS techniques emphasizing them in a geographical context and not only in situ. The location of these sites usually on alluvial plains of rivers leading to positive landforms that may change hydrogeomorphology dynamics or to be exposed to the floods. The other side, their location in hilly or mountainous regions increase vulnerability to other geomorphological process (gully erosion, landslide). Also, the extension of human settlements and land use is influenced by the presence of such a site either it is closed. The implications of these landforms are varied and must be linked to geographical realities from around. Thus, the mapping of these anthropogenic landforms contribute to a better understanding of the systemic interactions from local environment. This approach may be an important tool for EIA studies, in the process of rehabilitation, post-monitoring and reintegration of these landfills.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132006050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We employ a stochastic dominance (SD) approach to analyze the components that contribute to environmental degradation over time. The variables that are considered include countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water pollution as from the data set of the World Bank. Our approach is based on pair-wise SD tests. First, we study the dynamic progress of each separate variable over time, from 1990 to 2005, within 5-year horizons. Then, pairwise SD tests are used to study the major industry contributors to the overall GHG emissions and water pollution at any given time, to uncover the industry which contributes the most to total emissions and water pollution. We find that CO₂ emissions not only contribute the most to the GHG emissions over time, but also increased within 15 year in the first-order SD sense. On the other hand, water pollution increased in a second-order SD sense. Pair-wise industry comparisons suggest that the major industry contributors to the CO₂ emissions have always been the electricity and heat production sectors, while the transport sector has been the second contributor between 1990 and 2005. Finally, the food industry gradually became the major contributing industry for water pollution over time.
{"title":"Measuring Air and Water Pollution Over Time Using Stochastic Dominance","authors":"E. Agliardi, Mehmet Pinar, T. Stengos","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2242837","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2242837","url":null,"abstract":"We employ a stochastic dominance (SD) approach to analyze the components that contribute to environmental degradation over time. The variables that are considered include countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water pollution as from the data set of the World Bank. Our approach is based on pair-wise SD tests. First, we study the dynamic progress of each separate variable over time, from 1990 to 2005, within 5-year horizons. Then, pairwise SD tests are used to study the major industry contributors to the overall GHG emissions and water pollution at any given time, to uncover the industry which contributes the most to total emissions and water pollution. We find that CO₂ emissions not only contribute the most to the GHG emissions over time, but also increased within 15 year in the first-order SD sense. On the other hand, water pollution increased in a second-order SD sense. Pair-wise industry comparisons suggest that the major industry contributors to the CO₂ emissions have always been the electricity and heat production sectors, while the transport sector has been the second contributor between 1990 and 2005. Finally, the food industry gradually became the major contributing industry for water pollution over time.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"155 4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125887365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper estimates the effect of early lead exposure on academic achievement and adult earnings. We analyze longitudinal information from individuals attending primary and secondary schools in the city of Arica (in northern Chile). Between 1984 and 1989, Arica received more than 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals containing high concentrations of lead. Initially, the chemical waste was located several kilometers from the city. However, Arica's rapid expansion, which included the construction of housing projects just meters away from the waste deposit, put a large number of families at risk. Our data include information on residential proximity to the polluted area, levels of lead exposure, comprehensive demographic information, nationally representative academic test scores and administrative data on adult earnings. We document a strong relationship between blood lead levels and student academic performance. We find that an increase of one microgram of lead per deciliter of blood reduces math and language scores by 0.15 and 0.21 standard deviations, respectively. For earnings, we estimate that for each extra microgram of lead, monthly earnings decrease by CLP 11,458 (or USD 22.92). This translates into a reduction of USD 6,000 in lifetime earnings per microgram of lead per deciliter of blood.
{"title":"The Long-Term Effects of Early Lead Exposure: Evidence from a Case of Environmental Negligence","authors":"Tomás Rau, Loreto Reyes, Sergio S. Urzúa","doi":"10.3386/W18915","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3386/W18915","url":null,"abstract":"This paper estimates the effect of early lead exposure on academic achievement and adult earnings. We analyze longitudinal information from individuals attending primary and secondary schools in the city of Arica (in northern Chile). Between 1984 and 1989, Arica received more than 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals containing high concentrations of lead. Initially, the chemical waste was located several kilometers from the city. However, Arica's rapid expansion, which included the construction of housing projects just meters away from the waste deposit, put a large number of families at risk. Our data include information on residential proximity to the polluted area, levels of lead exposure, comprehensive demographic information, nationally representative academic test scores and administrative data on adult earnings. We document a strong relationship between blood lead levels and student academic performance. We find that an increase of one microgram of lead per deciliter of blood reduces math and language scores by 0.15 and 0.21 standard deviations, respectively. For earnings, we estimate that for each extra microgram of lead, monthly earnings decrease by CLP 11,458 (or USD 22.92). This translates into a reduction of USD 6,000 in lifetime earnings per microgram of lead per deciliter of blood.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133387046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
When it comes to environmental quality preferences, it is popularly believed that Democrats (and more generally, liberals) are “green�? while Republicans (conservatives) are “brown�?. Does empirical evidence support this popular belief? We test the hypothesis that regional political identification leads to differences in concentration outcomes for several measures of California air pollution indicators, including CO, NO2, SO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5 concentrations. We employ two alternative identification strategies on county-level cluster and year panel data that include proxy variables for political party preferences of the local populace, as well as controlling for the political party affiliations at the state-level legislative and executive branches. In general, we do not find a consistent and statistically significant relationship between pollution outcomes and political variables for California. The popular belief is empirically supported only for NO2 and O3, but not for any of the other pollutants, and even in these two cases the relationship only holds at the local regulatory level and not at the state policymaking level. At the state level, for most of the pollutants no significant effect of party affiliation is identified, and in the rare cases where such an effect exists, it is either too weak to be conclusive or is even counter to popular belief.
{"title":"Are Democrats Greener than Republicans? The Case of California Air Quality","authors":"Y. H. Farzin, C. Bond","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2201595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2201595","url":null,"abstract":"When it comes to environmental quality preferences, it is popularly believed that Democrats (and more generally, liberals) are “green�? while Republicans (conservatives) are “brown�?. Does empirical evidence support this popular belief? We test the hypothesis that regional political identification leads to differences in concentration outcomes for several measures of California air pollution indicators, including CO, NO2, SO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5 concentrations. We employ two alternative identification strategies on county-level cluster and year panel data that include proxy variables for political party preferences of the local populace, as well as controlling for the political party affiliations at the state-level legislative and executive branches. In general, we do not find a consistent and statistically significant relationship between pollution outcomes and political variables for California. The popular belief is empirically supported only for NO2 and O3, but not for any of the other pollutants, and even in these two cases the relationship only holds at the local regulatory level and not at the state policymaking level. At the state level, for most of the pollutants no significant effect of party affiliation is identified, and in the rare cases where such an effect exists, it is either too weak to be conclusive or is even counter to popular belief.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127659367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Currie, Lucas W. Davis, M. Greenstone, Reed Walker
A ubiquitous and largely unquestioned assumption in studies of housing markets is that there is perfect information about local amenities. This paper measures the housing market and health impacts of 1,600 openings and closings of industrial plants that emit toxic pollutants. We find that housing values within one mile decrease by 1.5 percent when plants open, and increase by 1.5 percent when plants close. This implies an aggregate loss in housing values per plant of about $1.5 million. While the housing value impacts are concentrated within 1/2 mile, we find statistically significant infant health impacts up to one mile away.
{"title":"Do Housing Prices Reflect Environmental Health Risks? Evidence from More than 1600 Toxic Plant Openings and Closings","authors":"J. Currie, Lucas W. Davis, M. Greenstone, Reed Walker","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2192658","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2192658","url":null,"abstract":"A ubiquitous and largely unquestioned assumption in studies of housing markets is that there is perfect information about local amenities. This paper measures the housing market and health impacts of 1,600 openings and closings of industrial plants that emit toxic pollutants. We find that housing values within one mile decrease by 1.5 percent when plants open, and increase by 1.5 percent when plants close. This implies an aggregate loss in housing values per plant of about $1.5 million. While the housing value impacts are concentrated within 1/2 mile, we find statistically significant infant health impacts up to one mile away.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125493866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper links Hotelling's theory, in recent literature applied to an emission constrained environment, with the classical capacity planning framework to describe portfolio time†paths in electricity production. Emission targets are considered by a ceiling on the stock of pollution. We propose conditions for an efficient production portfolio as a subset of available technologies. We then derive potential production portfolio time†paths for a renewable, a fossil and a carbon capturing technology that differ according to their fixed and variable costs, their efficiency and their polluting characteristics. We conclude that the share of the fossil technology will continuously decrease, the scarce resource will be fully exploited. On each constrained path, the stock of pollution will remain at the ceiling for a non†zero time period. Emission targets push down scarcity rents, an option for carbon capturing would decrease societal costs and uphold scarcity rents.
{"title":"A Hotelling Model for Fixed-Cost Driven Power Generation","authors":"A. Renz, C. Weber","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2185378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2185378","url":null,"abstract":"This paper links Hotelling's theory, in recent literature applied to an emission constrained environment, with the classical capacity planning framework to describe portfolio time†paths in electricity production. Emission targets are considered by a ceiling on the stock of pollution. We propose conditions for an efficient production portfolio as a subset of available technologies. We then derive potential production portfolio time†paths for a renewable, a fossil and a carbon capturing technology that differ according to their fixed and variable costs, their efficiency and their polluting characteristics. We conclude that the share of the fossil technology will continuously decrease, the scarce resource will be fully exploited. On each constrained path, the stock of pollution will remain at the ceiling for a non†zero time period. Emission targets push down scarcity rents, an option for carbon capturing would decrease societal costs and uphold scarcity rents.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131125779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The concept of environment accounting housekeeping (EAH) books of domestic wastewater is derived from those of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 emission is estimated based on consumption of electricity, gas, water and so on and can be linked to household expenditures. On the contrary, municipal wastewater discharges are estimated based on the standard or average pollutant discharge amounts per capita and the effects of the "soft interventions" in households on pollutant discharge decrease are subtracted. Therefore, municipal pollutant discharge reductions and household expenditures are not simply related in the current form of the EAH books of municipal wastewater. The economics aspects of municipal wastewater pollutant discharge reduction include household expenditure decrease by decreasing consumptions of foods, drinks and detergents and household expenditure increase with paper or rug to wipe out dishes and cooking apparatus, kitchen fixtures if necessary, and solid waste amounts increase. These kinds of economic aspects are discussed in the presentation. As we presented in the Symposium last year, the Social Experiment Program has been conducted in the Yamato-gawa River Basin, Japan, since 2005 to reduce municipal pollutant discharge and to improve river water quality. For final consumptions, chemical fibers industry will be positive affected and detergents industry will be largely affected judging from basic data summarized from the view points of economics aspects of the “soft interventions” in households.
{"title":"Comparison between EAH Books of Municipal Wastewater and Carbon Dioxide","authors":"Y. Tsuzuki","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2119140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2119140","url":null,"abstract":"The concept of environment accounting housekeeping (EAH) books of domestic wastewater is derived from those of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 emission is estimated based on consumption of electricity, gas, water and so on and can be linked to household expenditures. On the contrary, municipal wastewater discharges are estimated based on the standard or average pollutant discharge amounts per capita and the effects of the \"soft interventions\" in households on pollutant discharge decrease are subtracted. Therefore, municipal pollutant discharge reductions and household expenditures are not simply related in the current form of the EAH books of municipal wastewater. The economics aspects of municipal wastewater pollutant discharge reduction include household expenditure decrease by decreasing consumptions of foods, drinks and detergents and household expenditure increase with paper or rug to wipe out dishes and cooking apparatus, kitchen fixtures if necessary, and solid waste amounts increase. These kinds of economic aspects are discussed in the presentation. As we presented in the Symposium last year, the Social Experiment Program has been conducted in the Yamato-gawa River Basin, Japan, since 2005 to reduce municipal pollutant discharge and to improve river water quality. For final consumptions, chemical fibers industry will be positive affected and detergents industry will be largely affected judging from basic data summarized from the view points of economics aspects of the “soft interventions” in households.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115431156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-09-27DOI: 10.4324/9780203093474.CH19
P. Galizzi
The regulation of atmospheric pollution is one of the earliest and best-developed areas of international cooperation and regulation in the field of the environment. This chapter briefly analyzes customary rules as they apply to atmospheric pollution and then continues with a more detailed examination of treaty regimes in three selected areas: Long range transboundary air pollution; protection of the ozone layer; and climate change. The chapter examines these frameworks in terms of the substantive issues they address, as well as the lessons to be learned from each. These three regimes are arguably the most important and provide lessons for both the future of regulation of atmospheric pollution, and international environmental law as a whole.
{"title":"Air, Atmosphere and Climate Change","authors":"P. Galizzi","doi":"10.4324/9780203093474.CH19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203093474.CH19","url":null,"abstract":"The regulation of atmospheric pollution is one of the earliest and best-developed areas of international cooperation and regulation in the field of the environment. This chapter briefly analyzes customary rules as they apply to atmospheric pollution and then continues with a more detailed examination of treaty regimes in three selected areas: Long range transboundary air pollution; protection of the ozone layer; and climate change. The chapter examines these frameworks in terms of the substantive issues they address, as well as the lessons to be learned from each. These three regimes are arguably the most important and provide lessons for both the future of regulation of atmospheric pollution, and international environmental law as a whole.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131090186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adverse educational outcomes have been repeatedly linked to recurring school absenteeism. Asthma is the most prevalent pediatric chronic illness and is the leading cause of health-related school absenteeism. This study seeks to understand the impacts of coal power plant emissions on asthma aggravation and resulting school absenteeism. Data from a unique, nationally administered pediatric asthma survey are combined with power plant emissions information to estimate the emissions' impacts on school absenteeism by asthmatic children. Exogenous wind pattern information and structural corrections for selection bias are used to identify households affected by emissions. Empirical results show a robustly positive relationship between power plant emissions and asthma-induced school absences. Moreover, we show that without appropriate identification and controls for self-selection, effects of coal power plant emissions on school absenteeism are underestimated.
{"title":"Spatial Identification of Coal Power Plant Emission Effects on Education Access","authors":"A. Bekkerman, J. Morgan","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2152403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2152403","url":null,"abstract":"Adverse educational outcomes have been repeatedly linked to recurring school absenteeism. Asthma is the most prevalent pediatric chronic illness and is the leading cause of health-related school absenteeism. This study seeks to understand the impacts of coal power plant emissions on asthma aggravation and resulting school absenteeism. Data from a unique, nationally administered pediatric asthma survey are combined with power plant emissions information to estimate the emissions' impacts on school absenteeism by asthmatic children. Exogenous wind pattern information and structural corrections for selection bias are used to identify households affected by emissions. Empirical results show a robustly positive relationship between power plant emissions and asthma-induced school absences. Moreover, we show that without appropriate identification and controls for self-selection, effects of coal power plant emissions on school absenteeism are underestimated.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"129 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124237391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus have a dual role as inputs to crop production and as pollutants to water, air, and soil. The nutrient surplus measures are frequently used as indicators of environmental performance or eco-efficiency at micro level of individual farms and at macro levels of regions and countries. However, the static material balance accounting ignores an important dimension of the nutrient cycle: the time. Nutrients accumulate in soil, causing delayed effects and persistent harm to the environment. In this paper we propose a dynamic model of material balance, following the standard model of capital accumulation used in production economics. Using data of agricultural production in Finland in the years 1961–2009, we show that it is possible to estimate the stocks of nitrogen and phosphorus accumulated in the soil using information and data that are readily available. The dynamic model allows us to estimate not only the stocks of nutrients, but also the outflow of nutrients to water and air. Better understanding of flows and stocks of nutrients can provide insights to support managerial and policy decisions.
{"title":"Modeling Cumulative Effects of Nutrient Surpluses in Agriculture: A Dynamic Approach to Material Balance Accounting","authors":"Timo Kuosmanen","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.2141788","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2141788","url":null,"abstract":"Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus have a dual role as inputs to crop production and as pollutants to water, air, and soil. The nutrient surplus measures are frequently used as indicators of environmental performance or eco-efficiency at micro level of individual farms and at macro levels of regions and countries. However, the static material balance accounting ignores an important dimension of the nutrient cycle: the time. Nutrients accumulate in soil, causing delayed effects and persistent harm to the environment. In this paper we propose a dynamic model of material balance, following the standard model of capital accumulation used in production economics. Using data of agricultural production in Finland in the years 1961–2009, we show that it is possible to estimate the stocks of nitrogen and phosphorus accumulated in the soil using information and data that are readily available. The dynamic model allows us to estimate not only the stocks of nutrients, but also the outflow of nutrients to water and air. Better understanding of flows and stocks of nutrients can provide insights to support managerial and policy decisions.","PeriodicalId":340493,"journal":{"name":"Pollution eJournal","volume":"76 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127004379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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