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5.3 “PARADISO”, A CASE STUDY FOR THE PACIFIC ISLANDS, BY BRUCE GRAHAM
(WELLINGTON CONSULTATION)
Wellington Consultation Meeting on BAT/BEP
Case Study
Background Information
The details for this case study have been developed from recent inventory reports for 5 Pacific Island
countries, which were all prepared using the UNEP Toolkit. The results for releases to air are summarized
in attachment 1. As shown, there are significant variations between different countries. However, for most,
the major sources are in the categories of waste incineration (medical and quarantine), power generation
(mainly domestic wood burning) and uncontrolled combustion (rubbish burning). Other sources of
significance in one or more countries include asphalt plants, a secondary steel mill, and biomass-fired
power boilers.
Case Study for the Pacific Island Country of Paradisio
Country situation: Paradisio is a Pacific Island nation with a population of 420,000 people spread across 5
major (high) islands and 25 smaller islands, half of which are atolls. The Capital is Port Alofi, with a
population of 110,000 people.
Institutional framework: Most environmental matters fall under the responsibility of the Department of
<strong>Environment</strong>, although there is no wide ranging <strong>Environment</strong> Act, which would allow, for example, for the
issue of permits and control of industrial activities. There is however, a requirement for the preparation of
<strong>Environment</strong>al Impact Assessment reports, prior to the development of new industrial and commercial
facilities.
Economy: The four mainstays of the economy are fishing, agriculture, forestry and tourism. The major
agricultural exports include sugar and copra. In the past most timber has been exported as “green” logs,
but this situation is gradually changing with the increasing development of local processing facilities,
including timber mills and treatment plants.
Inventory Results: The results obtained using the UNEP Toolkit were as follows:
Source Categories
Annual Releases (g TEQ/a)
Cat. Air Water Land Products Residue
1 Waste Incineration 1.321 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.007
2 Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal Production 0.110 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.300
3 Power Generation and Heating 0.357 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
4 Production of Mineral Products 0.121 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
5 Transportation (and generators) 0.059 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
6 Uncontrolled Combustion Processes 0.891 0.000 0.060 0.000 1.756
7 Production of Chemicals and Consumer Goods 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
8 Miscellaneous 0.039 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
9 Disposal/Landfilling 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
10 Identification of Potential Hot-Spots 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
1-9 Total 2.9 0.0 0.1 0.0 2.1
Action Plan for Unintentional POPs
The Paradisio Action Plan for unintentional POPs includes a proposal for BAT to be required for any new
sources in the categories of waste incineration, ferrous and non-ferrous metal production, and production
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