Valuation of marine plastic pollution in the European Arctic: Applying an integrated choice and latent variable model to contingent valuation

Abstract

Despite its remoteness, marine plastic pollution is a significant environmental problem in the Arctic. In Svalbard, for example, plastics are found on the shorelines, in the water column, on the ocean floor and in the ice. Organisms have been observed to be entangled in nets and ingestion of plastics has been documented in a range of organisms. Notably almost all Arctic bird species have been found to have ingested plastic, with Northern fulmars being particularly affected, with 89% of samples recorded as having ingested plastic. Identification and valuation of ecosystem services affected by marine plastic pollution can provide input for decision makers in evaluating and comparing management policies concerning this unique environment. This study employs the contingent valuation method (CVM) for eliciting the willingness to pay (WTP) of Norwegian households for reducing marine plastic pollution around the archipelago of Svalbard. An Integrated Choice and Latent Variable model (ICLV) is employed to explore attitudinal determinants of WTP. We find an average WTP for an initiative to reduce marine plastics of NOK 5,485 (US$642) per household per year. The ICLV results reveal that people who are relatively more concerned about marine plastic pollution and who deem the proposed initiative effective are willing to pay more (up to 85% and 50%, respectively). The use of ICLV models in CVM and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Using stated preference valuation in the offshore environment to support marine planning

“…Bishop et al 2017, Loureiro et al 2009) and for oil spill prevention more generally in monetary terms (Bishop et al 2017, Leon et al 2014. More recently there have been efforts to assess the monetary costs of marine plastic pollution on shorelines and in the water column (Abate et al 2020.…”

A Drop in the Ocean: Patchy Evidence on the Societal Benefits of Marine Litter Reduction

“…Studies that include nonusers are typically much broader in geographical scope. The study sites of Östberg et al (2013) or Abate et al (2020), for example, cover hundreds of kilometers of the coast or a whole archipelago area.…”

“…The estimates range between a minimum of −18.50 USD and a maximum of 568.54 USD per person and year, with a median value of 34.67 USD 15 . For all but one study, the median estimates lie between 1 and 70 USD per person and year [for Abate et al (2020) the median WTP estimate is 307.42 USD].…”

Payment and Policy Consequentiality in Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation: Experimental Design Effects on Self-Reported Perceptions

“…Subsequently, we conducted three pilot surveys (of which two were online), each with = 50. As detailed in Abate et al (2020), we abandoned original plans for using a choice experiment approach after two pilots because respondents interpreted the proposed improvements as one package. Instead, we employed the single dichotomous choice format.…”