prop · GE0390 · 1990-12-31 00:00:00 — It is the opinion of theGovernment that these emissions should be further limited, in light of theirenvironmental effects, using the measures described below. Measuresimplemented to reduce emissions of metals since the adoption ofthe Environment Protection Act have been effective. It is the assessment 40 ofthe Goverament that the guidelines established by the Riksdag will thus Prop. 1990/91:90 be able to be satisfied through these measures. However,additional measures must be taken if the ultimate effects of metals on theenvironment are to be reduced to an acceptable level. The metals which shouldinitially be limited are mercury and cadmium, as they have the most severehealth and environmental effects. 2.5.2Environmental objectives for waters and the seas Thefocus of the environmental objectives for waters and the seas is that thesurvival of healthy, balanced populations of naturally occurring species mustbe maintained. Quality goals must be established for lakes and watercourses onthe basis of which decisions can be made as to measures to be implemented andfuture planning in the catchment area. Emissions which must initially belimited to achieve this include nutrients, persistent organic compounds andheavy metals, primarily mercury, cadmium, and acidifying substances. TheGoverament is proposing that the objective of a reduction of nitrogenemissions prcviously adopted by the Riksdag now be extended to cover allanthropogenic emissions to the seas along the entire west and south coast, upto and including the archipelago. Priority is to be given to measureslimiting emissions to the Baltic. Measuresbeing presented by the Goverament in this to achieve limitation of thenitrogen load include both agricuftural measures and measures to limitemissions of nitrogen oxide. Goals and strategies to limit emissions ofnitrogen dioxide have prcviously been described. Measures adopted to date foragricufture, in conjunction with the restracturing of agriculture passed by theRiksdag, will lead to a substantial decrease in nitrogen leaching. Additionalmeasures are described below. Wetlands also contribute to suppressing nitrogenleaching, and there will therefore be more extensive wetland recovery than inthe past. Thelevel of ambition must also be raised for the large coast-based sewagetreatment plants along the southem coasts of . Itis the assessment of the Goverament that application of the current measureswill make it possible to halve water-bome anthropogenic emissions of nitrogento the seas by 1995. TheGoverament believes that application of the current measures will make itpossible to reduce emissions of toxic, persistent organic compounds by halfbetween 1985 and 1995. Emissions from the pulp and paper industry will belimited by during the same period. The Goverament is proposingadditional measures to reduce these emissions. The objective is that emissionsof persistent organic compounds will eventually cease altogether. Itis the assessment of the Goverament that emissions of heavy metals must be further limited in order to reach levels that do not endanger the environment. The Goverament is proposing that emissions of mercury, cadmium and lead be given priority, and be reduced by between 1985 41 Emissions of other important metals wiU be halved during the Prop.1990/91:90 same period. Mercuryand cadmium are the most hazardous heavy metals from the point of view ofhealth and the environment. In the opinion of the Government, all use which mayimply their dissemination in the environment is to be phased out gradually.Special phase-out programmes for the use of mercury, cadmium and lead are to beestablished. Themeasures described here will, in the assessment ofthe Government, make it quitepossible to fulfil the objectives for metals, if such measures are implementedtogether with a review of the permit conditions for environmentally-hazardousoperations. Measureshave been taken to decrease the risks associated with and oilextraction at sea. It is vital that these efforts be pursued. In internationalnegotiations, should work towards application ofthe same environmentalrequircments for extraction and transportation of oil applicable in the Baltictoday also to the North Sea, through international agreements. On the basis ofits overall environmental objectives, the Swedish Environmental ProtectionAgency has formulated quality objectives for lakes and watercourses. has also devised criteria for determiningthe main metals in fresh water. These quality objectives should be integratedwith the facts and figures reviewed by County Administrative Boards before theymake their decisions, in order to attain and maintain good water quality inSweden. Bybreaking down the national quality objectives into goals applicable at regionaland local levels for different water catchment areas, it will be possible tobegin preventive work and better implement measures. The regional environmentalanalyses made by the County Administrative Boards will thus serve as importantcontributions to factual information when priority must be given to certainmeasures, and in mUnicipal planning. Thegeneral intemational cooperation on protection of the seas of Northern Europétakes place within the framework of a number of conventions. TheHelsinki Convention regulates protection in the Baltic area, the ParisConvention regulates emissions from land-based sources into the North Sea andthe North , and the Convention regulates dumping and incinerationof waste at sea in those areas. The Ministers ofthe Environment from thenations around the North Sea have held three North Sea Conferences, at whichthey have adopted joint Action Plans for limitation of pollution in the NorthSea. In addition, there are a large number of agreements on more limitedaquatic areas, many of which are significant to the Baltic and the North Sea,such as the agreements on the Rivers and , and the Sound. Swedenhas also undertaken, in international agreements, to reduce emissions of nutrients, persistent organic compounds and certain metals by approximately between 1985 and 1995. , the level of ambition was raised in Prop.1990/91:90 relation to the agreement from the other North Sea Conferences.Total emissions of mercury, cadmium and lead are to be decreased by or morebetween 1985 and 1995. It is anticipated that the measures implemented to dateand those now being proposed will make it possible for to live up to herinternational commitments. These include chlorinated solvents, metals andtheir compounds, some twenty different pesticides. Futureinteraational cooperation should focus on implementing the plans adopted todate and finding working forms for follow-up. Increased cooperation will alsobe necessary to monitor the environmental status of the sea. The most importantmeasures will be effective support to Eastera Europé so as to implementsubstantial emission reductions into the Baltic as rapidly as possible. Workis under way to amend the , and Conventions. The contractingnations are now considering the possibility of mergingthe and OsloConventions into a joint Convention on the North Sea and the North-EastAtlantic. InNovember 1990, the hosted an internationalconference in on oil pollution in a global perspective. Theparticipating nations agrecd upon a Convention text on prepar-edness,contingency measures and cooperation in cases of pollution from oil spills. TheSwedish Government has decided to ratify this Convention, and will later beproposing this ratification to the Riksdag for approval. Issuesabout the environment will be important at the 1992 UN Conference onEnvironment and Development. Regional Convention work to protect sensitive seaareas needs to be strengthened in many places. The question of supplementingthe global Conventions, which only apply to certain types of emissions, with amore complete global mecha-nism will be considered in this context. 3 The Strategies and instruments of environmental policy Legislationand different types of economic instraments provide the basis upon which to implementthe intentions of environmental policy. Since environmental problems havechanged in character in recent years, the strategies and instraments appliedneed to be reviewed and to be made as effective as possible. At the same time,Swedish regulations must be adapted to international regulations insofar as ispossible. This will facilitate international cooperation. Individualsand individual lifestyles will play an increasingly important role in theavoidance of future environmental problems. Environmental education at aUlevels is one of the prerequisites to facilitate responsible management ofnatural resources. Thegoals and strategies proposed by the Government in Chapter 2 are 43 relatedto the state of the environment. This requires highly effective Prop.1990/91:90 monitoring and follow-up ofthe state ofthe environment. Themost serious environmental problems in are caused directly or indirectlyby operations in other countries. Pollution is transported by air and wateracross large areas. Goods and products are transported between differentcountries as a result of increased international trade. Climatic changeconcerns the entire world. Other global environmental problems, such as thespread ofthe deserts, deforestation and protection of the world's seas andfresh water assets are of great significance to the development of manycountries. International cooperation is therefore increasing in importance. Swedenshould, insofar as is possible, apply strategies and instraments inenvironmental policy that facilitate international coordination. Inpace with the increasing significance of environmental issues, particularly inthe industrialized nations, cooperation between states has been strengthened.Most of the established inter-governmental organizations now have environmentalquestions on their agendas. An extensive network of conventions and otheragreements has been negotiated. Swedentook the initiative for the UN Conference on Environment and Development inBrazil in 1992, and has worked from the very beginning for environmentalissues to be discussed from a broad develop-mental point of view. TheGovernment is seeking to turn this into an action-oriented conference whichwill establish concrete Action Plans with precise goals, timetables forachieving these goals and means of financing them. The Government is alsoworking for the 1992 Conference to adopt, among other things, legally bindingconventions on the , climatic change and biological diversity. One ofthe purposes of the latter is to coordinate the work which takes place underother environmental protection conventions, in areas such as wetlands, and tostrengthen the national environmental protection work among the countries oftheworld. Withinthe overall goal of foreign aid to developing nations i.e. to raise theliving standards ofthe poorer nations the environmental goals supplement andsupport the other goals of Swedish development aid. The environmental problemsofthe developing nations are closely associated with fundamental developmentproblems. Poverty itself is one of the greatest threats to the environment inthese countries. In order to satisfy their food and fuel needs, the poor areforced to over-exploit the natural resources upon which future developmentdepends. Inorder to be able to manage their own environments and their own naturalresources in a sustainable , while also taking measures to contribute toglobal environmental improvements, it is essential that the developing nationsreceive increased technical and financial aid from the industrialized nations.The transfer of resources must be performed in a that best serves theneeds ofthe developing nations. TheUN development programme will, together with the interna- 44 tional financing bodies,play an important part in multilateral cooperation Prop. 1990/91:90 in thefield of environmental development..The importance ofthe financialinstitutions depends both on their extensive financial transfers andbn theirincreased advisory capacity in the field ofthe environment. Thecurrent negotiations on a European Economic Area (EEA) also includeenvironmental issues. Within the framework ofthe EEA, will have newpotential for playing an part in environmental cooperation in WesternEuropé, and thereby for achieving positive environmental impact. Swedenshould, therefore, together with the EFTA countries and the EC, try insofar asis possible to work out joint plans and solutions, particularly in areas ofimportance to international trade. In the light of 's earlier work in thearea ofthe environment, it is natural that we should play a leading role inthis work. Swedenconsiders that environmental cooperation with other countries with similarsocial and economic development is vital. The work of the EnvironmentalCommittee, for example, is firmly aimed at sup-porting the environmentalpolicies of member nations through experience exchanges, influence andcoordination. is making every effort to persuade other countries toincrease their efforts in terms of environmental policy. Success in this workwill lead to a reduction in the pollutant load on the Swedish environment.Another reason for influencing other countries is to prevent their industriesfrom galning competitive advantage through the introduction by their govemmentsof requircments that are less cost-intensive than in our country. 'seconomy is extremely dependent on other countries, and our competitive abilityis therefore of particular importance. Nordiccooperation has played a major part in 's interaational environmentalwork. The Nordic countries usually pursue joint demands in international fora,and this has had a considerable impact. The increase in international workmeans that the Nordic countries should, to a greater extent, divide measuresamong themselves on the basis of joint principles. In the light ofthe majorpolitical changes in Europé, it is quite natural for Nordic cooperation to beplaced in a broader European perspective. Inorder to shape Swedish environmental policy and participate in internationalenvironmental cooperation, it will be increasingly important to monitorcarefully the way in which environmental issues are treated in other countriesand inter-governmental organizations. Two posts as environmental attachés aretherefore to be established. Itis also essential to improve information to other countries concerning Swedishenvironmental policy. The Government will therefore be drawing up a specialinformation programme. TheGovernment is also proposing that SEK2 million be allocated as support for theinternational activities of non-profit making organizations. 3.2Monitoring the state ofthe environment TheGovernment is proposing that a new programme be introduced with the purpose ofmonitoring the environmental situation in the country. The Government is alsoproposing that resources for environmental monitoring be increased by SEK75million över a three-year period in order to promote a new and more effectiveprogramme. Initially,the programme will be designed to meet national and international informationneeds concerning the state ofthe environment. The programme will subsequentlybe developed at a regional level to provide support for County AdministrativeBoards and municipalities in their work on environmental issues. It will bepossible to include local programmes in the new monitoring system, formonitoring particularly polluted areas or the quality ofthe air in urban areas,for instance. Successfulmonitoring of the state of the environment is an important prerequisite forwork on improving the environment, as is access to geological information, andother information about the land. It wiU help to provide good material uponwhich to base decisions and to establish environmental goals, as well as tostipulate the necessary precautions and measures and follow up their effects.This applies both in a national and in an international perspective. Extensive monitoring ofenvironmental quality and inspection of conditions in various affected areasare already carried out today. A large number of authorities, institutions andcompanies are involved. isresponsible for the programme for monitoring environmental quality (PMK). Theemphasis of the programme is on the monitoring of environments without anylocal pollution. The programme consists of sections which have been decided ata national level and sections which are induded in international cooperation. Examples of monitoringefforts of a more specific nature consist of the programme for following up liming activities, the groundwaterobservation network of the Swedish Geological Survey, the site survey bythe , and ofForestry's follow-up of damage. The observation network of the SwedishMeteorological and , hydrology andoceanography also comes into this category. Monitoringof the state of the environment is primarily carried out at county level in theform of coordinated inspection of receiving waters and regional monitoring ofair quality. These programmes are often conducted throughair and water associations in which authorities and industry are Prop.1990/91:90 represented.For water inspection in particular, activities are largely con- troUedthrough the application of the provisions of the Environment ProtectionAct with respect to the impact on their surroundings of envi- The county administrative boards play anactive part in drawing up programmes and have in several cases participatedin appropriate environmental monitoring at county level. Manymunicipalities have successively developed their own monitoring programmes.These are primarily aimed at the quality of air in urban Thereis room for improvement in the coordination of the different programmes atnational, regional and local levels. Today there are difficul-ties inperforming the comprehensive evaluation of environmental developments that isbecoming increasingly important to successful environmental work. Moreover,the resources allocated for evaluation are often inadequate, at the same timeas major administrative efforts are required in order to implement specialregional monitoring programmes. Environmentalmonitoring is one of the coraerstones of interaational environmental work. Someofthe important bodies in this context are as follows: Under the ECE Convention onLong-range environmental monitoring work in theform of direct measure-ments of pollutants in precipitation and in theatmosphere is carried out. Activities also include monitoring of damage toforests, soil and water changes, corrosion and the impact of air pollution oncrops. is participating actively in this on-going programme and hasspecial responsibility for the areas ofthe programme which are aimed atassessing the impact on the environment of the measures taken within theframework ofthe Convention. The programme will provide some of the material forthe coming revision of protocols on the limitation of sulphur and nitrogenemissions, since this work will be based on critical loads. Within the framework oftheHelsinki Convention on the Protection of the of the Balticarea, and the and Conventions for the Protection of the Environmentin the North-East and the North Sea, including the andKattegatt, extensive cooperation is under way in drawing up and implementingmonitoring programmes for the sea areas concerned. In addition to this, certainmeasurements of air pollution are being performed in order to make it possibleto calculate the total deposition of airborae pollutants into the seas. One of the aims of the NorthSea Conference is to increase scientific understanding of the environment inthe North Sea through research The environmental monitoring programme is also 47 beingconducted by a special working group set up jointly by the Prop.1990/91:90 and Conventions, together with the forthe Exploration ofthe Sea. EnvironmentalAgency is to commence work during this year. One ofthe main initial aims is tobuild up a European network for environmental information and observation. TheAgency is open to cooperation with the EFTA countries and Eastera Europé.Sweden, like other EFTA nations, has dedared its intention to participate inthe . Within the framework oftheNordic , work is under way on the coordination ofenvironmental monitoring in the Nordic Area. hasinitiated a large number of different projects which together form a Nordicplan for monitoring the state of the environment. By 1992, a coordinated reporton the state of the environment in the Nordic Area is to be presented. Increased use of informationfrom various satellites can be expected in the field of environmentalmonitoring and research. is playing an part in interaationalcooperation aimed at satisfying the requircments in the environmental field. 3.2.3The purpose of environmental monitoring Thepurpose of environmental monitoring is to follow fluctuations in the state ofthe environment and to identify changes resulting from human activities.Monitoring is to provide the data required in order to identify and demonstrateenvironmental problems, both on a local and on a global scale. The results areto be used to set targets for the environmentally sound development of society,both in and in the surrounding world, to draw up priorities and decideon measures, as well as to follow up the effects of such measures. Thecurrent programme of environmental monitoring covers air quality, the landenvironment, fresh water, sea water and environmental toxins. In the opinion ofthe Government, the programme should be augmented to include the impact of landuse and effects on health. Physical planning and continued environmentalprotection work will increasingly be based on targets for different geographicalregions, species, biotopes and ecosystems. The natural environment is underserious pressure and the situation must be followed up through methodicalmonitoring. Theneed for coordination is increasing as environmental monitoring measures become more comprehensive. The Goverament is working to achieve interaational coordination in areas where such coordination is lacking. This will lead to better utilization of resources and promote a holistic approach in the environmental field. Better integration of environ mental monitoring activities will make it increasingly possible to follow the impact both ofthe pollutant load and of other measures which influ ence the environment, such as changes in the use of land. This will increase our knowledge ofthe interplay between various measures taken to prevent depletion ofthe environment. Environmentalmonitoring is by its very nature a long-term activity. 1990/91:90Government believes, therefore, that monitoring must be allocated ade-quateresources in order to guarantee continuity and stability, while beingsufficiently flexible that it can be adapted to changes in the amount of dataavailable and the nature of the problems. Environmentalmonitoring as a whole is already generating large quantities of data which,however, cannot be utilized adequately because of a lack of coordination amongthe different systems. At the same time, decision-makers at all levels ofsociety urgently need compiled and evaluated information. The Government alsobelieves that the general public has an obvious right to be given betterinformation on the state of the environment. TheGovernment is therefore proposing that the current programme be replaced by abetter-stmctured system, at the same time as improving coordination. PMK, thecoordinated inspection of receiving waters and the programmes for differentwater and air protection associations are therefore being rearranged andintegrated in a new coordinated monitoring system. The structure and approachof future environmental monitoring will thus be more suited to their purpose. common basis, there will be a national monitoring programme which meets theneeds both of national information and reporting to internationalorganizations.