The politics of regional cooperation on acid rain control in East Asia

Several multilateral initiatives on acid rain control were advocated in the 1990s, and extended through multiple channels in East Asia. There is, howe ver, little coordination between those initiatives. The geopolitical make-u p of the region has also hampered further progress in regional cooperation on the issue. In this paper we first examine the major features and weaknesses of existin g regional environmental cooperative schemes. Second, we review collective initiatives on the acid rain issue, and examine how further progress has be en hindered by the inherent inadequacies of the schemes. Finally, we consid er whether and how regional cooperation on the acid rain issue may be promo ted, and try to draw some implications from the European experience that mi ght help enhance regional cooperation.