Ailing Baltic Sea in need of urgent attention
The semi-enclosed sea is surrounded by industrial and agricultural nations Germany, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the three Baltic states.
Connected to the Atlantic only by the narrow waters of the Danish straits, the Baltic is known for its shallow, low-salinity waters, which are highly sensitive to the climate and environmental changes that have accumulated over the years.
"Today, the once massive Baltic cod stocks have collapsed, herring stocks in several sub-basins are balancing on critical levels, sprat recruitment is at a record low and wild salmon stocks are in decline," Swedish European MP Isabella Lovin, rapporteur for the EU Committee of Fishing, warned in a report, calling the situation "critical".
Dead marine zones and climate change
The Baltic Sea is home to some of the world's largest dead marine zones, mainly due to excess nutrient runoff into the sea from human activities on land -- a challenge the sea has long grappled with.
The runoff has primarily been phosphorus and nitrogen from waste water and fertilisers used in agriculture, as well as other activities such as forestry.
It causes vast algae blooms in summer, a process known as eutrophication that removes oxygen from the water, leaving behind dead seabeds and marine habitats and threatening species living in the Baltic.
Today, agriculture is the biggest source of nutrient pollution.
Marine biodiversity in the relatively small sea has also deteriorated due to pollution from hazardous substances, land use, extraction of resources and climate change, according to the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM).
"The state of the Baltic Sea is not good," Maria Laamanen, a senior advisor at the Finnish environment ministry, told AFP.
Climate change poses "a massive additional challenge" for the marine environment, she said.
Of the world's coastal seas, the Baltic Sea is warming the fastest.
A 2024 study said sea surface and sea floor temperatures have increased by 1.8 and 1.3 degrees Celsius respectively in the Finnish archipelago in the northern Baltic Sea, in the period from 1927 to 2020.
The consequences of rising temperatures already affect species, while increased rainfall has led to more runoff from land to sea.
Better waste water treatment and gypsum treatment of agricultural soil, as well as an expansion of protected marine areas in Finland, have had a positive effect on the maritime environment, according to Laamanen, who said environmental engagement had grown in recent years.
"The situation would be much worse without the measures already implemented," she said.
Fisheries
In her report, Lovin called for an ambitious reform of fisheries, with stronger attention paid to environmental and climate change impacts.
The report also questioned whether the Baltic could continue to sustain industrial-scale trawling, and suggested giving "priority access to low-impact fisheries and fishing for human consumption".
The head of the Finnish Fishermen's Association (SAKL) Kim Jordas said eutrophication was to blame for the declining fish stocks in the Baltic Sea, not overfishing.
"Looking at cod for example, it is entirely due to the state of the Baltic Sea and the poor oxygen situation," Jordas told AFP.
In Finland, the number of commercial fishermen has been declining, with a total of around 400 active today.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
27-07-2025
- Euronews
What the science says about dying of a broken heart
It might actually be possible to die of a broken heart, even years after the loss of a loved one, new research suggests. Grief is a normal response to death, but for some bereaved people, it can cause serious physical and mental health problems in both the short- and long-term. Now, a study has found that people who suffer from consistently high levels of intense grief are more likely to die within a decade of their closest loved ones. A Danish research team spent a decade following more than 1,700 adults who had recently lost a partner, parent, or another close relative, dividing people into five groups based on the severity and consistency of their grief symptoms over time. Over the 10-year period, people on the 'high' grief trajectory – those with the longest-lasting, most intense grief – had a death rate that was 88 per cent higher than those with the lowest levels of grief symptoms, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. Those in the high-grief group were also significantly more likely to be in therapy or taking antidepressant medicines more than three years after their loved one's death. After seven years, those differences tapered off. Researchers don't yet know exactly why people hit hardest by grief were more likely to die in the next decade after their loved one's death. 'We have previously found a connection between high grief symptom levels and higher rates of cardiovascular disease, mental health problems, and even suicide. But the association with mortality should be further investigated,' Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, one of the study's authors and a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University, said in a statement. But she noted that people in the high-grief group tended to have lower education levels and take more mental health medicines before their loved one died. That suggests 'that they had signs of mental vulnerability which may cause greater distress on bereavement,' Nielsen said. Overall, participants were aged 62 on average when the study began, meaning some of their health issues could also be explained by ageing. The majority were women. The study was also small, with just 107 people in the high-grief group and 670 people in the low-grief group. Larger studies would be needed to confirm the findings. But the study adds to a growing body of research on how emotional shocks affect our health. One such risk is takotsubo cardiomyopathy, commonly known as broken heart syndrome, because it is associated with stressful events like the death of a loved one. It occurs when the heart temporarily enlarges and doesn't pump well, causing heart failure that can be mistaken for a heart attack. Women are more likely to suffer from broken heart syndrome, but men are more likely to die from the condition, according to a study published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Another study found that grieving adults are more likely to die from heart disease and suicide in the three years after their spouses die. Men are also more likely to die from digestive or respiratory issues. Nielsen said the latest results could help doctors become more aware of the signs to look out for if a patient in mourning could be at risk of having their own health deteriorate. 'They can then offer these patients tailored follow-up in general practice, or refer them to a private-practice psychologist or secondary care,' Nielsen said.
Euronews
22-07-2025
- Euronews
AstraZeneca pledges $50bn investment in the US amid 200% tariff fears
AstraZeneca will invest $50 billion (€42.8 bn) in the US by 2030 in a move to expand its R&D and manufacturing there, the firm announced on Monday. This comes as the pharmaceutical giant aims to reach the target of $80 billion (€68.5 bn) in revenue by 2030, with 50% of it hoped to come from the US. The announcement also comes as the Trump administration threatens tariffs of up to 200% on drugs that are produced outside of the US. The new investment announcement is in addition to the $3.5 billion (€3 bn) pledged in November 2024. According to a statement from the company, the US plays a 'critical role' in AstraZeneca's ability 'to launch 20 new medicines by the end of the decade'. What will AstraZeneca produce in the US? As part of the investment, the British-Swedish company plans to build a new multi-billion dollar manufacturing facility in the state of Virginia. This plant will focus on the production of treatments for chronic diseases and is the largest single investment into a facility the company has ever made. '[This] announcement underpins our belief in America's innovation in biopharmaceuticals and our commitment to the millions of patients who need our medicines in America and globally,' Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer at AstraZeneca said in a statement from the company. 'I look forward to partnering with Governor Youngkin and his team to work on our largest single manufacturing investment ever. It reflects the Commonwealth of Virginia's desire to create highly skilled jobs in science and technology, and will strengthen the country's domestic supply chain for medicines.' The site in Virginia will have a particular focus on producing substances which make up AstraZeneca's weight management and metabolic treatment portfolio. As well as the site in Virginia, the investment will help expand facilities and production in Massachusetts, Maryland, California, Indiana and Texas, as well as finding new sites for clinical trials. AstraZeneca already has 19 R&D, manufacturing and commercial sites in the US, and the country is the company's largest market, representing 42% of their revenue. The firm currently employs more than 18,000 people and supports 92,000 jobs across the US. The new investment announcement is expected to create tens of thousands more jobs in the coming years. Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, said: 'For decades Americans have been reliant on foreign supply of key pharmaceutical products. President Trump and our nation's new tariff policies are focused on ending this structural weakness. We are proud that AstraZeneca has made the decision to bring substantial pharmaceutical production to our shores. This historic investment is bringing tens of thousands of jobs to the US and will ensure medicine sold in our country is produced right here.'
Euronews
17-07-2025
- Euronews
Danish universities increasingly rejecting foreign researchers
Growing scrutiny against espionage is leading higher institutions of learning in Denmark to reject foreign researchers, as officials report threat levels as high. University authorities in the Nordic nation say they are particularly vigilant when researchers come from Russia, Iran, and China, as sensitive Danish research must not fall into the wrong hands. At Aarhus University, one of Denmark's foremost institutions of higher education, at least 24 foreign researchers have been rejected this year. This equates to one in twelve applicants from China, Russia, and Iran, the institution said. According to Brian Vinter, vice-dean of Aarhus University's Faculty of Engineering, the applicant researchers were rejected on the basis that they would have access to material that could lead them to divulge information to a third party. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) says there are four ways in which foreign states can exploit and pressure researchers into becoming spies. Bribery or buying access to knowledge, blackmail, threats, coercion, digital influence campaigns, and simple methods such as surveillance, theft, and burglary are among the ways it mentions. At the University of Southern Denmark, André Ken Jakobsen, associate professor at the Centre for War Studies, warns that advanced technology can be applied by many powers. "And that makes the interest bigger, the intensity bigger, the competition bigger, and thus the threat is also bigger," he said, adding that a lot of unwanted attention may arise, especially in the areas of quantum technology and the green transition. This is what has informed the need for caution, according to Professor Jakobsen. Denmark's security and defence agenda The tightened rules on this also come in light of Denmark's security and defence agenda when it took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. On 3 July, Denmark marked the takeover of the Presidency of the Council of the EU with an official opening ceremony in Aarhus. While analysts believe this may particularly be geared to rearmament efforts, as the Scandinavian country tends to do with defence as a priority, associate professor Jakobsen notes that the threat of cyber espionage is real. The Danish Emergency Management Agency reports that the threat of cyber espionage and cybercrime against Danish universities is very high. That's why screenings are necessary, according to Jakobsen. Despite the efforts to mitigate risks, there are fears the situation may have some impact. "Of course, I think that's super sad because we want the best people to come in and work for us. This is also why we do everything we can to avoid overimplementation," said Vinter of the Aarhus University Technical Faculty. "But there is no doubt that we say no to some people who probably could have had employment at Aarhus University without anything going wrong with it, but we have assessed that the risk is too high," he explained. Several other Danish universities have also rejected foreign researchers for fear of espionage, but they have said they don't keep count of the number of rejections. To screen applicants, the University of Copenhagen told local media it has employed two staff members in addition to using a third-party consultancy. The majority of the screenings have been carried out in the natural and health sciences, although the university told DR, the official Danish broadcaster, that they do not have statistics on how many applications have been refused.
