Publisher's Synopsis
The concept of "critical loads" is of great ecological, economic and political importance. Although a simple concept - the threshold at which a pollutant load causes harm to the environment - turning this basic idea into scientifically-acceptable criteria is an ambitious undertaking. Nevertheless, governments are pressing ahead with European legislation on air pollution based on acceptable critical loads. However, there has been little opportunity for the ecological community as a whole to participate in these vital discussions on European policy, or for those who have been involved to present the results of their deliberations to their scientific peers.;To help remedy this situation, the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology organized a Conference in 1992 for all interested parties. It generated new ideas, reassessed existing views, and sparked some controversies. This book documents the proceedings of the Conference and should be useful in the further development of the critical loads concept.
