ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS AND POLICIES IN THE BALKAN PENINSULA

The energy sector in the region of the Balkan Peninsula is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a source of air pollutants (acidifying substances, ozone precursors, and particulates), oil spills, and nuclear waste. The energy sector is one of the most polluting sectors of the regio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current politics and economics of Russia, Eastern and Central Europe Eastern and Central Europe, 2016-05, Vol.31 (3/4), p.407
Main Author: Papadopoulou, Elena V M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Agricultural runoff
Air pollution
Asthma
Atmospheric ozone
Biodiversity
Carbon monoxide
Climate change
Economic development
Emission standards
Emissions
Energy industry
Environmental aspects
Environmental health
Environmental impact
Environmental policy
Farm buildings
Gasoline
Greenhouse gases
Industrial plant emissions
Industrial pollution
Lungs
Manufacturing industry
Mines
Motor vehicles
Mountains
Nitrogen dioxide
Nuclear energy
Nuclear power plants
Oil spills
Outdoor air quality
Petroleum
Plants
Pollutants
Precursors
Radioactive wastes
Regions
Respiratory system
Rivers
Smog
Sulfur
Trends
Urban agriculture
Wastewater
Water pollution
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Summary:The energy sector in the region of the Balkan Peninsula is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a source of air pollutants (acidifying substances, ozone precursors, and particulates), oil spills, and nuclear waste. The energy sector is one of the most polluting sectors of the regional economy. Pollution is an important concern in terms of environmental health. Air pollution remains an important problem in many urban and industrial Balkans areas, due to emissions from industry and from motor vehicles. Problems found in specific areas include the continued use of leaded petrol and high-Sulphur diesel in some countries, as well as emissions from aging mines and power and manufacturing plants. While national trends have varied, for several key pollutants such as acidifying substances, total regional air emissions from the Balkans have not changed greatly in recent years, however, better information support is needed to evaluate these trends more accurately. Freshwater quality also varies significantly across the region, which has pristine mountain streams as well as rivers polluted by industrial and urban wastewater and agricultural run-off. The aim is to briefly present key environmental and climate change challenges and opportunities in the region and in relation to alignment to the European Union (EU).
ISSN:1524-1688