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UNIT 1: WHERE DO WE STAND? THE STATE OF THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Why Should the Tourism Industry be Concerned
about Acidification?
Forest damage and the loss of species due to acidification mean the degradation
of some of the tourism industry’s primary resources. Dry deposition on historic
buildings and other monuments increases the frequency and cost of maintenance
and repair. High sulphur emissions can impair the health of tourists and local
people, increasing respiratory and lung disorders such as asthma.
International Response to Combat Acid Deposition
Sulphur dioxide emissions from domestic sources were primarily responsible for
the infamous 1952 London smog, which was at least partly responsible for the
deaths of over 4,000 people. This incident was the catalyst for the introduction
of clean air laws in Western Europe and North America in the mid-1950s.
Their enforcement has resulted in a significant reduction of sulphur dioxide
emissions, mainly through the elimination of domestic coal fires and significant
improvements in flue cleaning techniques (dry and wet scrubbers, filters, and
electronic precipitators).
Additional impetus was provided in 1983 by the adoption of the Geneva Convention
on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, the first international agreement to
address acidification and photochemical pollution in a transboundary context. The
convention has since been extended by five protocols, including:
• The 1985 Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions of their
Transboundary Fluxes by at least 30%, which gave signatories eight
years to reduce 1980 sulphur emissions by 52%;
• The 1994 Oslo Protocol on the Convention of the Long-Range
Transboundary Air Pollution, which made further provisions for ‘joint
implementation’ but has not been implemented so far;
• The 1998 Sofia Protocol on the Control of Emission of Nitrogen Oxides
of their Transboundary Fluxes, which prompted several countries to
reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 25% (though lack of data limits the
possibility of evaluating the results).
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Sulphur Dioxide Allowance Trading – The US Experience
In the US, a sulphur dioxide allowance-trading programme was begun in 1995
as a market-based strategy for reducing acid gas emissions.
Under this programme, each legally concerned utility can decide on the most
cost-effective way to reduce acid emissions, be it through energy conservation
measures, increasing reliance on renewable energy sources, switching to lowsulphur
coal or oil, or using flue gas desulphurisation technology. Utilities that
reduce emissions below the number of allowances they hold may:
• Trade allowances with other units in their system;
• Sell them to other utilities in the open market or through US
Environment Protection Agency auctions;
• Bank them to cover future emissions.
The advantage with such market-based initiatives is that they provide incentives
for energy conservation, technological improvement, and the development of
cost-effective pollution abatement strategies.