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This paper presents the results of an internationally coordinated contingent valuation study on the benefits of reducing marine eutrophication in the Baltic Sea according to current policy targets. With over 10,500 respondents from the nine coastal states around the sea, we examine public willingness to pay (WTP) for reduced eutrophication and its determinants. There are considerable differences in mean WTP between countries, with Swedes being willing to pay the most and Latvians the least. The aggregate annual WTP is approximately €3600 million. In addition, we find that countries are heterogeneous in terms of the effects of income, attitudes and familiarity on WTP. Income elasticities of WTP are below 1 for all countries, ranging between 0.1 and 0.5. Attitudes and personal experience of eutrophication are important determinants of WTP, but the specific effects differ between countries. The findings can be used in economic analyses for the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive and to justify additional eutrophication reduction measures in the Baltic Sea.

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The heavy reliance of the livestock industry of the European Union (EU) on feed protein imports has initiated a transition to alternative protein sources such as grass proteins. Green biorefineries (which process grass into protein and other related bio-products) are gaining interest in the EU as the EU searches for ways to cut its import of feed proteins, to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, and to combat climate change. However, the vulnerability of green biorefineries to fossil energy constraints has not been studied. We estimated the energy conversion efficiencies (EE) and the energy return on investment (EROI) of bio-products from standalone (SGBR) and integrated grass refinery (IGBR) systems using scenario and energy analysis. The base scenario assumes an SGBR that processes grass into protein, fiber, and brown juice. The three IGBR scenarios assume that grass is processed into protein, fiber, and biomethane (Scenario 1); into protein, fiber, heat, and electricity (Scenario 2); or into protein, fiber, heat, and biomethane (Scenario 3). We found that the EE of the IGBR (83%-85%) largely exceeded that of the SGBR (77%) in all cases. Energy returns on investment were lower for grass than for clover-grass because of the high fertilizer needs of the former. The standard EROIs (EROI std ) for grass protein ranged from 1.6 to 5.4 over the various feedstocks and scenarios evaluated. The EROI std decreased when the system boundary was expanded to the point of use (EROI pou ), or when they were adjusted for quality (EROI qly ). Other bioproducts from both SGBR and IGBR also had high EROI std , and showed similar patterns to that of grass protein (i.e., EROI std > EROI pou > EROI qly ). Although Scenario 1 had a high EE relative to the base scenario, its heavy reliance on auxiliary energy inputs reduced the EROIs of its products. Our analysis showed the strong impacts of brown-juice recycling in the energy performance of green biorefinery. It thus deserves close attention when designing and implementing a green biorefinery in a given region. 606S Njakou Djomo et al.Modeling and Analysis: Energy Balance of Green Protein With favorable economic conditions, green biorefineries could contribute to the reduction of food and energy insecurity in Europe in a sustainable way.