Cost-effectiveness analysis in reducing nutrient loading in Baltic and Black Seas: A review

Eutrophication represents a global environmental pressure that necessitates international co-operation and the diffusion of information to avoid information asymmetries, the construction of an appropriate legislative framework, the development of monitoring technologies and scientific research to provide the evidence base for any policy interventions. The health condition of the Baltic and Black Seas has deteriorated over a long period due to increases in nutrient inputs from anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic sources. The current report aims at providing a review of the literature and defining the possible gaps concerning (1) the attempts at regulatory intervention to address the problem of eutrophication in the Baltic and Black Seas, (2) the methodological issues in constructing a cost-effectiveness analysis, (3) the available applications of cost-effectiveness studies conducted and (4) the uncertainties and risks entailed in the cost-effectiveness studies.