Ann-Kristin Bergquist, who is an associate professor and senior lecturer at Umeå University, received her doctorate about 15 years ago on the environmental adaptation of Rönnskärsverken 1960 - 2000. She believes that the level of emissions largely reflects the level of environmental policy.
- An industry such as Rönnskär with complicated environmental processes is rarely before the legislation, says Ann-Kristin Bergquist.
Large investments are required for conversion
According to Ann-Kristin Bergquist, the industry works with investments in ten-year cycles and therefore wants a long-term environmental policy because conversion often requires technological development and fairly large investments.
- The industries that are on this top ten list can not easily jump down from it, she states.
But what can be done to reduce these levels?
- There is a need for environmental policy that pushes and creates rules of the game for this type of change, and then there is a need for investments in research and development where the state can also step in and support with, for example, venture capital, says Ann-Kristin Bergquist.