The Effectiveness of International Environmental Regime

: The case of Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP)

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of the international environmental regimes by performing a quantitative assessment on four Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) protocols (Helsinki, Sofia, Oslo and Geneva). The impact evaluation method which combines the difference-in-differences method with propensity score matching was employed in the analysis, using panel data from 50 countries which participated in the 1979 Geneva Convention. The results demonstrate that adoption of the Sofia protocol had a significant effect in reducing emissions while the other three protocols had no discernible effect. In conclusion, it is important to consider each country's heterogeneity as well as their characteristic pollutants, not just the reduction of the pollutants when evaluating the effectiveness of the regimes.