Ohio State’s Environmental Policy Initiative will hold a webinar focused on the economics of water pollution control, looking specifically at the case of harmful algal blooms, on Tuesday, September 30th from 12 noon to 1pm. The webinar is free, open to all, and is targeted at non-economic audiences. Advance registration is not required.
The webinar will address the economic dangers of harmful algal blooms, offer an evaluation of the effectiveness of traditional conservation practices in Ohio, and discuss the use of economic instruments to control algal blooms, such as taxes, water quality trading, and phosphorus limits.
The event will feature Frank Lupi, Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at Michigan State University; James Shortle, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics at Pennsylvania State University; and Brent Sohngen, Professor of Environmental Economics at Ohio State. Anne Baird, a water quality expert in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State, will moderate the discussion.
“Despite years of efforts to reduce phosphorus, our traditional conservation approaches appear not to be working as well as we wish. It is really useful now for the farm community and our policymakers to at least consider taking stronger steps to limit phosphorus emissions. Our webinar will provide an economic template for doing that,” noted Professor Sohngen.
The Environmental Policy Initiative, which is led by Professor Sohngen, holds several webinars each year aimed at engaging policymakers, environmental advocates and researchers on discussion and debate around an environmental policy topic. To learn more about the work of the Environmental Policy Initiative, visit http://aede.osu.edu/epi.
To join the webinar, visit http://carmenconnect.osu.edu/waterpollution.
September 17, 2014