The Long and the Short of It - The Changing Arctic Environment: The Arctic Messenger - page 338

tances observed between emission sources in, for example, England and impacted eco-
systems in Norway.
Lobby groups vigorously denied the scientific findings. However, in 1979, the Convention
on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) was established to enable parties
to the agreement to cooperatively reduce acid rain. Several legally binding protocols have
been added to the convention. The more recent protocols balance specified emission levels
with knowledge about atmospheric transport and the sensitivity of the receiving deposition
environments. Adequacy of the actions to protect ecosystems is measured by several dif-
ferent methods, including environmental monitoring.
Future needs:
The CLRTAP is generally considered to have been a success. In 2004, sulphur emissions
in Europe and North America were down 60% and 50%, respectively, in comparison to
1980, while ecosystems have been recovering accordingly. Further emission reductions
are ongoing.
At the time when the Rovaniemi negotiations were creating the Arctic Environmental Pro-
tection Strategy in 1989-1991, little information was available on the extent of acidifica-
tion in the Arctic. Since then, two assessments from Arctic Monitoring Assessment Pro-
gramme(AMAP)havefoundlittleevidenceforchronicandwidespreadecosystemimpacts
attributable to long-range atmospheric transport. However, there are several areas, mainly
in the Barents Region, where severe localized forest and freshwater ecosystem degradation
has occurred in association with Russian smelters. Although acidification is now generally
not regarded to be a pressing issue in the Arctic, I have included it in the Arctic Messen-
ger's story because lessons learned in the CLRTAP acidification programmes shaped the
approach taken later when countries turned to the control of POPs and heavy metals.