An economic and institutional analysis of nutrient enrichment in the Danube-Black Sea System
Year: 2003
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The nutrient pollution in the Danube-Black Sea System is an international environmental problem worthy of analysis because of the number and diversity of the countries involved as well as the severity and the scope of the pollution in the region.This issue is characterized by the downstream flow of nutrient pollution in the Danube River Basin to the Black Sea where coastal countries also emit nutrients, and where significant environmental degradation has occurred.Theoretical analyses suggest that downstream countries must use payments to convince upstream countries to abate because these countries would not have any incentive to reduce pollution in the absence of these payments.This paper offers an economic formalization of the Danube-Black Sea pollution problem and analyzes the effects that these incentives have on the role of payments from downstream to upstream countries, and the prospects for international environmental cooperation in the region.This paper offers several important conclusions.First, payments from downstream to upstream countries will be unlikely because of European Union enlargement and water policy, institutional linkages and interdependence among the countries of the region, and wealth constraints in downstream countries.Second, upstream abatement in the Danube that is aimed at improving water quality in the Black Sea will likely have a negative impact on the incentives for cooperation among the Black Sea riparian states.Third, cooperation among the Black Sea riparian states will be a critical part of addressing the Danube-Black Sea pollution problem.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Alan MacKinnon
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W907179199