prop · GE0390 · 1990-12-31 00:00:00 — forthe foreseeable future, in energy generation and elsewhere, investments Prop. 1990/91:90 in post-production treatment processes will remain necessary.This also makes it vital to place increasing emphasis on imposing treatmentrequirements at the point where the costs ofthe treatment will be lowest. Goodeconomic growth requires that the economy adapt to new circumstances andaltered conditions. Inefficient operations must make way for the new, effectiveproduction being demanded. Thus economic policies formulated to facilitatestractural transformation and påve the way for positive growth will also be ofconsiderable importance in improving the environment. The possibility cannot beexduded, however, that future environmental regulations may lead toconsiderable expense for specific companies or branches of industry, which wiUhave to re-adapt, and make stractural transformations to environmentallyfriendly operations. For this reason, our ambition must be to attempt tominimize such cxpenses. Ourdefinition of welfare, which measures economic growth in terms of changes inthe GDP, needs to be enlarged. The concept of welfare should be representedmore holistically, and should express other qualitative factors which cannoteasily be expressed in traditional economic terms. Inorder to make use of the wider concept of the national wealth, new methods mustbe developed to assess the value of natural resources. Furthermore, statisticson the basis of which economic decisions are made should reflect and takeaccount of changes in the environment and the utilization of natural resources.In light of all this, the Goverament has appointed a Commissioner to study thequestion of with what information the national accounts can be supplemented.The intention is that the national accounts should then constitute a betterpoint of departure for emphasizing the environment in economic decision-making.The Commission on Environmental Accounting () wiU present the resufts ofits study by . Environmentalawareness must permeate aU sectors of society, and a good foundation must belaid for sustainable growth. In its draft budget for this year, the Goveramenthas emphasized that our economic policy must contribute to conversion ofproduction and consumption in order to ensure the balance between economicgrowth and the environment. Duringthe spring of 1990 the Goverament established its new agricultural policy.Price controls and export subsidies will be lifted. One ofthe objectives ofthereform is to improve the environment. The environmental objective of the newagricultural policy is to safeguard wealth and variety in the cultivatedlandscape and maintain biological diversity. Valuable aspects ofthe naturaland cultural landscapes are also to be protected. There will be a three-yearsubsidy of SEK550 million for nature conservation. Nutrientleaching from agriculture is to be reduced by half between 1985 and 1995.Ammonia emissions are to be reduced by , as a first step, by 1995. A numberof measures have already been implemented, and supplementary measures are nowbeing proposed to make it possible to achieve these goals. Thecadmium content of artificial fertilizer must be restricted. A specialCommissioner will be appointed to determine, inter alia, the need of a taxsystem for cadmium in artificial fertilizer. Theuse of pesticides has been cut back by half in the last five years and will nowbe reduced by an additional by the mid-1990S. Areview ofthe forestry policy has been initiated, and will include the detailingof an environmental objective for forestry policy. The Government isproposing allocation of reserve funds of SEK58.I million for environmentalprotection measures in agriculture. The Government is also proposing theintroduction of an environmental tax on liquid ammonia. The Nature ConservationAct is to be made more stringent in terms of regulations on dewatering. Thefocus of agricultural policy was changed in the decision passed by the Riksdagduring the spring of 1990, with minor modifications in relation to the GoveramentBill on Agricultural Policy. The parliamentary decision was preceded by manyyears of intensive commission work, one of the aims of which was to develop anagricultural policy bringing the demands of the contemporary consumer forheafthful, inexpensive food into line with a rational, environmentally-adaptedagricuhural system. The decision ofthe Riksdag contained three main points.Price controls and export subsidies will be lifted as of 1 1991. Bördercontrols are to be reduced, to be compatible with the projected agreement.Measures oriented towards the individual farmer will make it possible to fulfilcertain general goals on the free märket. These include issues of environmentalawareness, contingency readiness, and regional distribution of agriculturalproduction. The objectives of the new agricultural policy are to safeguard the variationand wealth ofthe cultivated landscape, maintain genetic vari- Prop.1990/91:90 ationand biological diversity and minimize plant nutrient leaching. wealthand variety ofthe cultivated landscape is a key factor for preserving theflora and fauna. For these reasons, environmental protection and natureconservation have been emphasized in the new agricultural policy. Theopen landscape is to be maintained in areas where it is considered importantfrom an environmental point of view. Throughoutthe centuries, agriculture in has shaped the rural landscape andcontributed to its openness. Agriculture has also impacted on the changes in,and sometimes the expansion of, the numbers of species. However, in recentdecades, the increasing mechanization of agriculture and the intensive use ofchemicals has brought a number of negative environmental effects in its wake.For example, the use of pesticides poses a severe threat to animals and plantsin the cultivated landscape. Implementation of measures prcviously adopted bythe Government means that the use of pesticides is decreasing today. The useof artificial fertilizers and farmyard manure has led to increased nutrientleaching to watercourses and ammonia evaporation to the air. Increasedlarge-scale farming and drainage of wetlands is resulting in depletion ofthebiotopes. In1988 the Riksdag passed regulations to reduce nutrient leaching from farming,pursuant to the Government on Measures to Improve the Environment inAgriculture, etc. Most of these measures dealt with requirements of increasedstorage capacity for farmyard manure, more stringent requirements forfertilization of fields, regulations for the growing of catch crops, and araising of the environmental tax on artificial fertilizer, as an incentive toreduce its use. The more stringent regulations were initially imposed incoastal zones adjacent to the most severely-affected sea areas. The objectivewas to achieve a reduction of nutrient leaching in highly-polluted areas bythe year 2000. Additional measures will, however, be necessary if thisobjective is to be attained, and if effects on the seas are to be limited. Ininternational agreements, this objective has been tightened up, and there isnow to be a reduction of all agricultural nutrient leaching by 1995, tomake it possible for to reduce anthropogenic emissions of nutrients by50%. Theobjective, as prcviously stated by the Government, is to reduce risks to healthand the environment from the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture. Thefirst step, to attain a reduction between 1985 and 1990, has basicaUy beenaccomplished. According to the Riksdag decision pursuant to the 1990 GoveramentBill on Agricultural Policy, the use of pesticides will be reduced by a further50% by early in the second half of the 1990S. Itis the opinion of the Government that the agricultural reform will furtherlimit the negative impact of agriculture on the environment. The reform willmake it possible to better adapt agriculture to the environment in the future. Inconjunction with the reform, crop production will be restractured. The Goverament has allocated funding for subsidies for farmland convert- 78 edto other sustained uses than agricultural production, such as the cuitiva- Prop. 1990/91:90 tion of energy or deciduous , or theestablishment of wetlands. TheGovernment has assigned the , inconsultation with ofNational Antiquities, the task of monitoring and assessing the environmentalimpact of the new agricultural policy. They have also been assigned to evaluatethe effects, demand for and scope of subsidies for nature conservation, aswell as the form they should take, and to review the application of parts oftheAct on the Maintenance of Agricultural Land. Cultivationof bio-fuels in plains areas and of wetlands contribute toreduction of nutrient leaching from agricultural soil. An "establishmentsubsidy" may be granted for deciduous or energy . Subsidiesfor cultivation of bio-fuels in plains areas is to be stmc-tured so thatnutrient leaching from agriculture is reduced and valuable natural and culturalaspects ofthe landscape are retained. Agricultureis still one of the main sources of Swedish inputs to the nutrient load on theseas, the surface water and groundwater. In some areas with intensiveagriculture, it may even be the main source. Theregulations on storage and management of farmyard manure implemented to date,in conjunction with the increased environmental tax on artificial fertilizers,have already begun to be effective. Yet they are not sufficient to achieve a50% reduction in nitrogen emissions. The restracturing of agriculture is alsoexpected to contribute markedly to decreased nutrient leaching. TheGovernment has determined that stipulations are to be issued including stricterrequirements for autumn and crop raising, which is one ofthe mostcost-effective means of reducing nutrient leaching. The Government is proposingthat funds be earmarked for information and pilot projects on autumn and wintercrop raising. Anothermajor source ofthe nitrogen load is ammonia emissions. These emissions arebasically a national problem, as ammonia disseminates across far smaller areasthan, for example, nitrogen oxides. Some of the ammonia deposition comesfrom Swedish sources, primarily from agriculture in conjunction with farmyardmanure management. Measures can be taken to limit ammonia evaporation to airoriginating from manure handling. Development of manure spreading equipmenttechnology will lead to additional improvements. The initial objective is tolimit ammonia evaporation by before 1995, in relation to current levels.The potential for limiting emissions by before the year 2000 is beinginvestigated. Asupplementary program for limitation of nitrogen emissions from agriculture to the soil, water and air is being drawn up by in consultation with the . The Government is proposing allocation of an addi- 79 tional SEK58.1 million forenvironmental protection measures in agricul- Prop. 1990/91:90 ture. Thisfunding is for testing and development of manure management techniques andother measures to reduce ammonia emissions, as well as the development ofmethods for type approval and serial testing of fertilization equipment. Anothermeans of reducing nitrogen leaching would be economic instmments to reduce useof artificial fertilizers. The total quantities of fertilizers used in agriculturein the last five years has decreased by . The Government is proposing anenvironmental tax on liquid ammonia corresponding to the tax already levied onother artificial fertilizers. In conjunction with the lifting ofthe pricecontrol on artificial fertilizers, the Government will consider whether anenvironmental tax is a cost-effective means of achieving further limitations ofnutrient leaching from excessive use of artificial fertilizers. Thecadmium content of artificial fertilizer must be sharply limited, primarilyowing to its effects on human health. A Government Commissioner is beingappointed to investigate the need for a tax on cadmium in artificialfertilizer. His assignment is also to present a proposal for a maximumpermissible cadmium content in artificial fertilizer. Manymeasures have been taken to protect the cultivated landscape in . Aspecial subsidy for the conservation ofthe cultivated landscape, referred to asthe subsidy, was introduced in 1986. In 1987 ofAntiquities was allocated funds for the implementation of measures formaintenance of the cultural landscape. The 1990 decisions on agriculturalpolicy induded the introduction of a new subsidy for such conservation, ofroughly SEK550 million for three years. TheAct on Maintenance of Farmland stipulates that before farmland, includingpasture, is taken out of production notification must be submitted to theCounty . In cases where this land is of key interest fromthe point of view ofthe natural or cultural environment, an agreement may beentered between the farmer and the state that the farmer will be reimbursed forcontinuing to farm the land. It is also possible to enter into similar agreementsabout adjacent land when, in the assessment ofthe ,such land is important in creating the holistic view of the landscape requiredfrom the point of view of the natural or cultural landscape. Conservation ofthis kind can only be meaningful if there are economically self-sustainingfarms. The authorities have special funds for nature conservation.Reimbursement for landscape conservation, in combination with the instmmentsmade available pursuant to the Nature Conservation Act and voluntary measuresimplemented by the municipalities, etc. all mean that there is good potentialfor ensuring the maintenance of valuable aspects of the cultivated landscapefor the 4.2.4 Pesticides Prop.1990/91:90 TheGoverament is proposing that the environmental tax on pesticides berestractured in conjunction with the transformation of price controls toenvironmental taxes. It should be adapted to the stracture ofthe current pricecontrols, which would mean that the tax would be levied in a dose-relatedfashion, depending on the risks associated with the agent, rather than beinglevied per kilo used. TheChemicals Inspectorate is to be authorized to investigate the possibility ofestabiishing differentiated taxes in relation to the hazardous properties ofthe pesticides and the risks associated with their use. This would facilitatesteering developments in the direction ofthe environmental objectives, both interms of a transition to pesticides with fewer risks and through less use of pesticides.The point of this restracturing is to be able to achieve the required 50%reduction in use of pesticides between 1990 and the early part ofthe secondhalf of the 1990s. Atpresent there is a ban on the use of growth regulation agents, with the exceptionof use for rye cultivation. The use of growth regulation agents makes itpossible to increase the amount of nitrogen used without increasing the riskof lodge stånds, but it increases the risk of plant nutrient leaching andpollution of aquatic systems. As there are no types of rye available todaywhich yield acceptable crops and qualities without growth regulation agents,however, rye will be exempted from the ban in the future as well. Biologicalpesticides containing naturally-occurring organisms are used to some, but todate only a very limited, extent in . One inhibiting factor to theintroduction of biological pesticides has been competition from thewell-established, relatively inexpensive chemical agents. In recent years,however, the picture has changed, owing to the criticisms levelled againstchemical agents, developments in genetics, etc. If biological pesticides arepreferable from the point of view of health and the environment, they maybecome an important alternative to chemical agents. The introduction ofbiological pesticides may, however, imply risks to the environment. For thisreason, a system for prior inspection of biological pesticides will beintroduced. 4.2.5 Theneed for agricultural irrigation Inrestracturing crop production and the cultivation of energy crops, it is particularly important to take access to water into account. Energy crops may require more water than the crops currently being cultivated. Today, agriculture is already the third largest source of water consumption in . There has been competition for water in many parts of during the dry summers of recent years. Existing conflicts and problems have often been brought to a head över water shortages in the summer, especially with the increased demand for water in recent years. In areas with intensive agricufture, it is now essential to adapt crop cultivation to the existing availability of water, and to ensure that, when necessary, water will be collected and stored. 6 1990/91. In light of the above, theGovernment intends to assign the National Prop. 1990/91:90 Board ofAgriculture the task of examining in detail the future demand for irrigation inagriculture, and to propose solutions to solving the problem of access to waterwhere needed. Thecurrent Swedish forestry policy has been in effect since 1979. It emphasizes,for example, the need to take interests of nature conservation into account.Since that time, many aspects of forestry have changed, including theimportance of forestry to the Swedish economy and energy supply, as well as theinteraational situation. Our are also now under threat from various airpollutants, including sulphur and nitrogen oxides. We also have greaterawareness today of the need to maintain biological diversity in nature, and toallow our forestry activities to build on their natural prerequisites. In viewof all this, the Goverament has appointed a parliamentary committee toreconsider the objectives and instraments of our forestry policy and proposethe necessary amendments to it. One of the tasks of the committee is to presenta detailed environmental objective for forestry. Oneparticular problem noted in both agriculture and forestry is protection ofwetlands. Wetlands contribute effectively to the prevention of nitrogen ranoff,as well as being the natural habitat of a large number of animal and plantspecies, many of which are threatened with extinction. Totally speaking,approximately one-third ofthe wetlands in have been drained since theearly nineteenth century, and of this land has been used for forestry. Insome farming areas ofthe wetlands are gone. Some 15,000 hectares aredewatered annually for forestry purposes, and another 30,000 hectares areditched. Thisdevelopment must be stopped, as wetlands are amongst the most important partsofthe landscape and are a highly significant means of reducing nutrientleaching to the sea. Wetland restoration is vital both in terms of natureconservation and to reduce plant nutrient leaching. The Government is proposingamendment of the Nature Conservation Act, and introduction ofthe possibility ofprohibiting ditching of areas where, from a nature conservation point of view,it is especially important to maintain wetlands. Pursuant to this proposal, theCounty Administrative Boards are to be notified of all ditching. It is possibleto grant the new subsidies passed by the Riksdag for restorationof wetlands from agricultural land. Hazardsto health are to be drastically reduced by the early part of the comingcentury. The environmentally-dismptive effects of traffic are to be sharply limited.The Goverament expects the environmental effects caused by Swedish traffic tobe done away with by the year 2010. The effects of traffic on climatic changeare to be limited in accordance with the strategy for reducing climatic impact. Responsibilityfor the cost of traffic is to be reviewed. Investments in the infrastractureare to increase in order to reduce environmental damage and to increaseaccessibility. A programme aimed both at reducing the environmental impact oftraffic and at improving accessibility is to be implemented in 's threelargest cities. TheGoverament is prepared to allocate SEK5,500 million for the financing ofmeasures in the large city areas. Interaationalcooperation is to be intensified. The Goverament intends, within the frameworkof the EEA (European Economic Area) process, to work towards limiting theexhaust emission requirements for cars, light tracks and buses as soon aspossible and not later than . The Goveramenfs ambition is also to introducestricter regulations concerning the sulphur content of fuels used in ferriesand other through wide-ranging Nordic cooperation. Internationalexhaust emission requirements should be introduced for . Measuresare to be taken to reduce emissions from individual vehides. Such measuresinclude the introduction of an environmental dassification system aimed atproviding economic incentives for more environmentally sound vehides. Anenvironmental dassification system will be introduced for cars, buses andtmcks from the 1993 model year. The environmental dassification of diesel fuelsis to be made more distinct. Arequirement for environmental impact assessments in the planning of new roadsis to be imposed. Environmental impact assessments are also to be drawn upwhen projecting new track-bound systems. In road planning, environmental impactassessments are to be introduced at the planning stage. In the GoveramentBill on Energy Policy, the Government is proposing that SEK30 million per yearbe allocated for four years for the testing and development of motor alcohols. Accessto transport and Communications has been a cornerstone of the development ofsocieties throughout the ages. It is through communica-tion between people andplaces that societies are formed, survive and develop. Throughout history, thedevelopment of transportation has gone hand in Prop. 1990/91:90 hand with thedevelopment of society in other respects. The technical and economic conditionswhich have restricted access to transport at different stages of developmenthave also imposed clear limits on what could be achieved in other areas ofsociety, severely restricting the ability to meet various material, social andcultural needs. Theoverall objective of transport policies is to offer the nation's citizens andtrade and industry in all parts ofthe country satisfactory, safe, healthy andenvironmentally sound transportation at the lowest possible cost to the nation.One ofthe important goals of traffic policy is thus to contribute to a goodenvironment. The objective should be to radically reduce harmful emissionsfrom the transport system. Theremay be conflicts between the environmental goal and other goals of trafficpolicies. When the cost of a trip increases, the possibility for people totravel is reduced and with it their access to places of work, for instance. Theobjective of future work on the environmental adaptation of traffic is toachieve a balance between the need to develop the transport sector in order tomeet the transportation requirements of the 1990s and the need to sharplyreduce the sector's impact on the environment. Theresponsibility for the cost of traffic is an important point of departure inthis context. It implies that all types of traffic and all vehides are to beartheir own cost to the nation's economy. As a further step towards thisobjective, the Riksdag decided in connection with the Government onTransport Policies in 1988 to make certain increases in the petrol tax andkilometre tax. Environmental taxes have, for instance, been introduced for roadtraffic and in conjunction with the tax reform. A review ofresponsibility for costs is currently being carried out. Theenvironmentally-motivated measures that were adopted during the 70s and 80sconcentrated to a large extent on individual vehides. Other measures such asreduced speed limits on certain roads and increased requirements for theenvironment to be taken into consideration in investment planning have alsobeen implemented, however. These measures are now beginning to show results.Emissions of lead from road traffic have dedined sharply.