Geneva, 30 April 1999
UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
REVIEWS LATVIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Air pollution
Latvia's emissions of air pollutants (SOx, NOx,
CO2) have dropped by a third since 1990. With 17.0 kg
of SOx, 11.6 kg of NOx and 4.4 tons of CO2 per inhabitant, Latvia's annual emissions are well below those of
its two Baltic neighbours, Estonia and Lithuania. Yet, according
to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's latest
environmental performance review*, emissions from district
heating systems, power generation and traffic continue to exert
pressure on the environment. This explains why, especially in
urban areas, the air quality is often unsatisfactory. With the
number of vehicles up 65% since 1990, this problem is likely to
get worse.
Water
The UN/ECE also reports that the
quality of groundwater is good, as is that of surface water,
which enjoys high oxygen levels and rich fauna and flora.
However, nitrogen and phosphorus levels remain high despite the
drop in the use of fertilizers and in the generation of waste
water. This is a real cause for concern, because all of Latvia's
surface waters discharge into the Baltic Sea, which is very prone
to eutrophication B a process by which nutrients encourage the growth
of algae, but kill other organisms. Groundwater is the main
source (71%) of drinking water. Although the groundwater itself
is clean, it is contaminated in the ageing water abstraction and
distribution systems.
Nature conservation
Latvia's nature is rich and
diverse, and well preserved so far. Its ambition is to maintain
the current level of biological and landscape diversity. Since
1990, Latvia's forests have been exploited intensively. The
report suggests that this resource should be used in a more
sustainable way. Also, its officially protected land (6.8% of the
total land area) requires an extra conservation effort. It needs
to be better managed if it is to keep its biodiversity potential.
Waste
The review -- the fifth in a
series that the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UN/ECE) began in 1996 -- also found that Latvia's biggest
environmental problem at the moment is waste. In fact, Latvia
does not produce all that much waste (150 to 300 kg per
inhabitant per year, against 300 to 450 kg in western Europe),
but its waste management is totally inadequate. Only about half
the household waste is collected and none of the 558 landfill
sites is operated according to applicable health standards
(1997). Hazardous waste is rarely collected or managed
separately.
Waste management was not a
priority in the early 90s, because the recession meant that the
money required for the necessary infrastructure was simply not
available. Latvia is now making a serious effort to tackle this
problem. It has adjusted its legal framework and developed a
programme for waste management. Particular attention has been
given to hazardous waste.
Agriculture, transport and
industry
Although agricultural and
industrial output has virtually halved since 1992, agriculture,
transport and industry are a potential threat to the environment.
Agriculture was traditionally geared towards breeding animals for
meat exports to the former USSR. Now the emphasis is shifting to
growing crops and principally to satisfying domestic demand. The
time is right therefore to introduce more environmentally
friendly agricultural practices. Should this happen, agriculture
will be less of a threat to the environment when its output again
picks up.
According to the UN/ECE review,
a much bigger threat is transport. Latvia is a hub for road and
rail traffic, pipelines and shipping. Transport services are a
major industry in Latvia, in particular the transport and
trans-shipment of oil products. This is likely to remain the case
when the present economic restructuring has been completed.
Today, these activities pollute soils, water and air. Their
future development should be studied carefully to overcome the
current environmental problems and choose the options that will
be the least environmentally harmful in the long run.
The review also points out that
industry is not sufficiently induced to apply clean technology --
a situation that could change with the integrated pollution
prevention and control (IPPC) principles that Latvia intends to
introduce in line with EU policy.
Legislation
The review makes clear that
Latvia is making a tremendous effort in all environmental sectors
to approximate EU policy and legislation, as are its two Baltic
neighbours. Latvia is developing new rules and regulations at a
hectic pace, to the extent that there is now a risk of
contradiction and duplication in legislation. All this fast
progress also means that the National Environmental Policy Plan
is now somewhat out of date. To overhaul this long-term plan,
more interested parties should be involved and it would
strengthen its credibility if it were adopted as a government
programme.
Public information
For the first time, an
environmental performance review has devoted an entire chapter to
the issue of public information. Latvia's Government is convinced
that tackling all these environmental problems is not possible
without the full backing of the people. It therefore puts much
emphasis on public information. The review found that the general
right of access to environmental information is guaranteed;
however the practicalities to access this information still need
to be improved. For instance, the environmental data that are
produced by Latvia's efficient environmental monitoring system
could be made much more accessible. Boosting environmental
education at all levels would also help people to better
understand the information.
For more information
about the UN/ECE environmental performance reviews, please
contact:
Mr Andreas Kahnert
UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 338
CH - 1211 Geneva 10
Phone: (+41 22) 917 41 59
Fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07
E-mail: [email protected] |
Ms Catherine Masson
UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 332
CH - 1211 Geneva 10
Phone: (+41 22) 917 23 56
Fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07
E-mail: [email protected] |
* United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe, Environmental Performance Reviews:
Latvia, 1999, 175 p. Sales No. E.99.II.E.8.