Natural Resources and Environmental Economics Essay - 2

Natural Resources and Environmental Economics - Essay Example This essay has been aimed at showing the possibility for the economic instruments to work effectively for the minimization of the pesticide water pollution on the local level. While the legal threshold of pesticide residues is equal to 0.1 ÃŽ ¼g/l, 5 to 10% of waters in Belgium, Denmark, the UK and France are found to be contaminated with the levels of pesticides exceeding these limits. As 65% of Europeans use ground waters for drinking, the seriousness of the problem increases and needs expensive treatment. The major impact that is mentioned in the essay is made on the local communities which mostly rely on groundwater supplies. Though there have been shown the disadvantages in the previous policies, the general direction in which the authorities work is correct. There have been shown the possible strategies and recommendations to make this work even more effective. It is suggested by the researcher of the essay that the future work in the area of pesticide pollution is concentrated on the development of the new economic instruments in combination with ecological knowledge. It will also be useful to account the international experience, though any policy should first of all be implemented at the local level. The advantage of the local addressing the issue is in the fact that local authorities are more able to control each polluter separately, which ultimately makes the whole work in the sphere of environment protection at the state level more effective and produces better results.