Nitrogen crisis: ‘Towards customization in assessing the impact of activities on the environment’

The Dutch ‘Adviescollege Stikstofproblematiek’ (in English: Advisory Committee on the Nitrogen problem) drew up it’s final advice “not everything can be done everywhere” some time ago. The advice is about the long-term structural approach to nitrogen and it states that a complex approach is not good for creating public support.

My expectation is that by carrying out more sound assessments of the effects of activities on air quality, support can be increased.

What is certain is that there has been a lot of talk lately about nitrogen disposition. For that matter, our air quality has been in the spotlight in recent years anyway; topics such as nitrogen deposition, substances of very high concern, particulate matter and greenhouse gases regularly lead to debate.

What I wonder is whether there is a juridification of environmental policy: the government as a watchdog that sets requirements for the environment and determines the rules. The uncertainty about the approach turns into too many rules. The rules contribute to a sense of control, but do not contribute to factual information and to the development of the industry enough.

The client questions we receive are mainly limited to the (mandatory) assessments. Apparently, there is no need to map out the effects of activities on the quality of the environment. Consensus is: “Not because we have to, but because we can.” It is the threat of the government that prompts action, while it is the responsibility of each initiator to give environmental management its proper place.

Creating an image

By investing extra in the assessments of emissions, certainty can be obtained about the effect of the possible measures. This extra certainty will encourage initiators to take the measures necessary to become frontrunners. This will create a positive image. Think of former DSM CEO Feike Sijbesma, who early last year announced during his farewell speech that the chemical group can only make money if it is sustainable: “Sustainability as the only earning model for the future”. This can lead to an ironclad reputation.

Customization required

In short, a proper assessment of the effects of activities on the quality of the environment serves both individual and public interests. Such an assessment, however, requires customization: it stands or falls with a proper analysis and elaboration into a careful (measurement) strategy and (calculation) methodology. The emissions of nitrogen oxides, for example, do not require fine-grained spatial details, whereas ammonia does.

Would you like to know what additional measures your company could take to improve the assessment of the effects of your activities? Feel free to contact me.

© Port of Rotterdam, photographer: Eric Bakker

АuthorFrits van Arkel

Senior Consultant Industrial Emissions

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