Ailing Baltic Sea in need of urgent attention
Unveiling its road map to protect Europe's seas, the European Ocean Pact, Brussels announced a summit on the state of the Baltic Sea in late September.
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.
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France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Ailing Baltic Sea in need of urgent attention
Unveiling its road map to protect Europe's seas, the European Ocean Pact, Brussels announced a summit on the state of the Baltic Sea in late September. 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.
Euronews
18-05-2025
- Euronews
Teens with high screen time more likely to be depressed, sleep poorly
Teenage girls who spend more time on their phones are more likely to sleep badly and have signs of depression, researchers in Sweden found. The study included 4,810 Swedish students aged 12 to 16. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute monitored their screen time habits, sleep patterns, and symptoms of depression over a one-year period. Both girls and boys spent three to four hours per day on their devices, above the two- or three-hour limit that Sweden's public health agency recommends for teenagers. But at the roughly same level of screen time, teen girls had an average depression score that was twice as high as among boys. The findings, published in the journal PLOS Global Public Health, confirmed that high screen time leads to sleep 'displacement,' meaning people fall asleep ater than they would on the body's natural schedule. Among teen girls, screen-driven displacement impacted their sleep quality, how long they slept and their chronotype, or the natural inclination of the body to sleep at a certain time. Teen girls were also more likely to report symptoms of depression – but this wasn't the case for boys. 'Our results do suggest that less… screen time seems healthier, in line with previous World Health Organization statements,' the authors said. If people lowered their screen time, 'the high burden of depressive states among young Swedish women, and maybe young men, would likely decrease,' they added. The findings are in line with previous research that followed 45,000 Norwegian university students, and found a strong relationship between screen time in bed, insomnia symptoms, and shorter sleep duration. But other researchers urged caution and for more studies to be done before jumping to any conclusions. Notably, the Swedish analysis doesn't establish that high screen time causes poor sleep and depression – just that they are correlated. The study has some other limitations. The teenagers reported their own screen time, 'a method known for its unreliability,' Chris Ferguson, a professor of psychology at Stetson University in the US who wasn't involved with the study, said in a statement. Even so, other scientists said the findings could help make the case for national guidelines on smartphone use on school nights. Ben Carter, a professor of medical statistics at King's College London who was not involved with the study, said such guidelines could 'empower parents and help adolescents improve their sleep and prevent daytime sleepiness'. That's especially important, he said in a statement, because 'sleep in the development of adolescents is essential'.
Euronews
19-04-2025
- Euronews
Nappies, smartphone glass, and cigarette butts are piling up in Europe. How can we recycle them?
ADVERTISEMENT Recycling has become second nature for many of us, but what products in Europe still struggle to find a second life? Municipalities collected half a tonne of waste per person living in the EU in 2023, the latest figures show, with only around 48 per cent of that getting recycled. The pressure is now on to raise that statistic. New EU rules state that by the end of this year, 55 per cent of municipal waste and 65 per cent of packaging waste must be prepared for re-use or recycling. Related Clean energy from rain? Scientists generate electricity from falling droplets People are paid to return coffee cups in this Danish city - does it work? But European countries are struggling to hit these goals. Estimates show that two-thirds of EU countries will miss at least one target, and ten member states including Greece, Hungary and Poland risk missing both targets. So what products are proving to be the most difficult to recycle - and what's being done to solve it? A laser to melt smartphone glass Around 75 per cent of Europe's glass packaging (e.g. bottles and jars) is recycled each year, most of which gets melted down and recast as new glass packaging. But glass found in X-ray tubes, LCDs, and smartphone screens are often chemically altered. For example, glass in smartphone screens might be chemically-strengthened to make them more resistant to cracks or scratches. This makes it difficult for conventional kilns to melt down. 'To change the temperature [in kilns] to just a couple of degrees takes a lot of time,'' says Juan Pou from the University of Vigo in Spain. Everglass researchers looking at the influence of different parameters (such as the intensity of the laser) on the texturing of the glass. European Science Communication Institute gGmbH Instead he and other researchers in the EU-funded Everglass project are creating a prototype glass recycling machine that uses a laser to melt the glass. 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'There would be a huge demand in the future for this material, and this means that someone is going to recycle that,' he says. Related 'Fossil fuels in another form': Plastic recycling rate stagnates at under 10%, report finds Recycling food waste to create 'biostimulant' fertiliser The EU generates over 59 million tonnes of food waste each year, roughly equivalent to 132 kg per inhabitant. Of this, 11 per cent is caused by hotels, restaurants and catering services (HORECA for short). 'It's estimated that 99 per cent of HORECA waste is landfilled,' says Bruno Iñarra, a food sustainability researcher at the AZTI research centre in Spain. Although some might become compost, this usually does not have enough soil nutrients for agriculture. His work in the EU-funded LANDFEED project wants to transform waste from restaurants and food services into bio based fertilisers fit to be used by farms. 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