Geneva, 12 May
1999
UNITED
NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
REVIEWS
LITHUANIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Legislation
Lithuania has made a genuine
effort in recent years to set up a legal system for environmental
protection. Yet, according to the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe's environmental performance review,--
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Environmental
Performance Reviews: Lithuania, 1999, 190 p. Sales No.
E.99.II.E.7, ISBN 92-1-116709-4, US$ 35. -- enforcement is lax --
a common trend in all the former republics of the USSR.
Industry
Lithuania was traditionally a
base for the machine-building and food-processing industries.
With the breakdown of the Soviet Union, its industry was
particularly hard hit. As its export markets collapsed, it was
forced to find new ones in the west.
Some sectors of activity are now
starting to pick up, for instance the chemical and pharmaceutical
industries, the fuel and energy sectors, food processing and the
timber industry. But these are precisely the big polluters.
Lithuania is aware of the necessity to project a green image and
is working to introduce cleaner technologies and creating the
institutions to do so.
New economic instruments have
already been introduced to curb pollution, such as tradable
permits and product charges. But, according to the UN/ECE report,
the economic incentives are too weak, the permitting system is
still based on a single environmental medium and laws on air,
water, wastes and chemicals do not oblige firms to use best
available technology (BAT).
Spatial planning
The review -- the fourth in a
series that the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UN/ECE) began in 1996 -- also reports that Lithuania has made
much progress in transforming its spatial planning system. The
local administration has been strengthened and now deals with
most local affairs without interference from the central
Government. For instance, it is responsible for urban planning,
providing public utilities (energy and water), waste management,
public transport, the educational and cultural infrastructure,
maintaining buildings and roads. The capital Vilnius pioneered
the AVision 2015" development programme,
which started the city's economic revival. Other local
administrations will follow, helped by the recently developed
common database on spatial planning.
Air pollution
The UN/ECE estimates that, on
average, the air emissions of the main pollutants from stationary
and mobile sources have halved since 1991. At 25.1 kg, 17.5 kg
and 5.1 tonnes respectively, Lithuania's annual emissions of SOx,
NOx and CO2 per capita are comparable to
those of Austria and Italy. The biggest emitters are combustion
plants, co-generation plants and transport. For instance, levels
of particulates, nitrogen oxides and benzo(a)pyrene, which are
related to traffic in urban areas, are often above the threshold
for which WHO recommends remedial action. Lithuania also has one
of Europe's highest death rates due to traffic accidents.
Water
Lithuania has improved its
aquatic environment. This is chiefly due to the construction of
treatment plants in recent years. Its next task should be (i) to
improve sludge management so as to decrease microbial
contamination of water and (ii) to set up protection zones to
prevent pollution from agricultural runoff. These two problems
seriously affect the quality of drinking water, which is mostly
drawn from groundwater. 30% of well-water samples are
contaminated by microbes and around 300,000 inhabitants may drink
well-water with a high nitrate content.
Waste
Substantial improvements are
also needed urgently in waste management, according to the UN/ECE
environmental performance review. Lithuania produces on average
384 kg of waste per person per year, which places it halfway
between Portugal (285 kg) and the Netherlands (465 kg). The
current regulations cover only narrow management areas, and reuse
and recycling schemes are difficult to get off the ground.
Moreover, few landfills meet the health and safety conditions for
the disposal of waste. It is therefore all the more important
that all sectors should introduce best available technology. New
economic instruments should be tailored so as to encourage the
prevention and minimization of all kinds of pollution.
Nature conservation and
agriculture
Lithuania has achieved
outstanding results in landscape protection: 11.2% of its total
territory is protected. Forests cover about 30% of the territory
and 27% is protected by conservation restrictions. But, because
of economic hardship, many trees have been felled. Agriculture
also exerts pressure, although this problem has eased since land
was privatized. It is true that the use of pesticides and
fertilizers has dropped, but land drainage has resulted in the
loss of habitats and the disappearance of flora and fauna. The
UN/ECE review concludes that Lithuania should strengthen
protection measures in the existing protected areas, rather than
pursue the creation of new ones. As tourism develops in
Lithuania, tourism policy will increasingly have to take account
of nature management.
Energy
Finally, the environmental
pressures from the energy sector have also been assessed, as this
is a key economic sector, which largely affects environmental
quality. Lithuania is the biggest electricity producer in the
Baltic region.
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] |