Management, regulation and environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in north-western Europe under the Nitrates Directive; a benchmark study
Implementation of the EU Nitrates Directive and its environmental impacts were compared for Member States in the north-west of the European Union (Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands…
Reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy: Environmental impacts in developing countries
The proposed reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will have little impact in developing countries. This is the conclusion by the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency…
Climate and Energy Roadmaps towards 2050 in north-western Europe
Although energy markets are interlinked and energy companies operate internationally, European countries have a strong national focus in their climate and energy policies. Countries have little regard…
European-scale modelling of groundwater denitrification and associated N2O production
This paper presents a spatially explicit model for simulating the transport of nitrogen (N) and the denitrification and associated production of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) in groundwater, with a one…
Assessment of the environmental impacts and health benefits of a nitrogen emission control area in the North Sea
Two studies have analysed the costs and benefits of creating a nitrogen emission control area in the North Sea and the English Channel. Such a control area requires new ships to emit 75 percent less…
This report analyses how combinations of technological measures and changes in consumption patterns could contribute to achieving a set of sustainability objectives, taking into account the…
Cobenefits of climate and air pollution regulations
In 2011, the European Commission published its roadmap towards a competitive low-carbon economy for 2050. For this roadmap the possibilities of a far-reaching reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in…
PBL Note Sustainability of biomass in a bio-based economy
The conversion of the present European economy based on fossil fuels into a more bio-based economy will probably be restricted to about 10 per cent of final energy and feedstock consumption in 2030…
EU Resource efficiency perspectives in a global context
Resource Efficiency is one of the flagship projects of the European Commission. On this subject, the expected global development of five related aspects has been mapped by the PBL: energy, land use…
Exploring global changes in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in agriculture induced by livestock production over the 1900–2050 period
Global nutrient surpluses will continue to increase in the next fifty years. This will lead to larger amounts of nutrients in soil and surface waters, disrupting ecosystems and harming biodiversity.