Abstract
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), linking North America, Europe, and large parts of Central Asia, has achieved considerable reductions in air pollution emissions and effects. In addition, CLRTAP has also facilitated political cooperation, international law development, and the use of science to develop and implement policy. For instance, regionalized emission reduction targets of the CLRTAP Gothenburg Protocol minimize environmental effects and abatement costs. However, reductions of nitrogen (N) emissions causing eutrophication effects have not been sufficient to prevent widespread critical load exceedances. CLRTAP has increasingly assessed links between N emissions/effects, climate change and biodiversity but more research is needed. To achieve enhanced capacity building and further emission reduction of N compounds challenges have to be overcome in science (e.g., regarding N effects on ecosystems and feedbacks with climate), policy (e.g., linking CLRTAP with other multilateral and global environmental agreements), and communication between science, policy and the public.
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In 2004, the National Research Council recommended that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consider using critical loads for ecosystem protection. In 2005, EPA included a provision in its Nitrogen Dioxide Increment Rule that individual states may propose the use of critical loads information as part of their air quality management approach, in order to satisfy requirements under Clean Air Act provisions regarding “prevention of significant deterioration.” Federal land management agencies, such as the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, developed specific recommendations for using the critical loads approach as a tool to assist in managing federal lands.
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Spranger, T., Bull, K., Clair, T., Johansson, M. (2014). Implications of Current Knowledge on Nitrogen Deposition and Impacts for Policy, Management and Capacity Building Needs: CLRTAP. In: Sutton, M., Mason, K., Sheppard, L., Sverdrup, H., Haeuber, R., Hicks, W. (eds) Nitrogen Deposition, Critical Loads and Biodiversity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7939-6_44
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