History of water pollution and protection of cities in Eastern Baltic Europe, 1945-2000

The aim of the research project is to study the environmental history of water pollution and protection in cities in Eastern Baltic Europe after WW II. Eastern Baltic Europe refers to N-W Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and East Germany.
Funding: Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation.

The Sea and the Societies

Approaches to the environmental history of the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish water bodies in the world. It is an especially sensitive sea, because it is a shallow and semi-enclosed body of water that receives a considerable load of pollutants from the surrounding societies. The pollution of the Baltic Sea has become such a significant problem for the people and the governments of the entire region that it has become one of the most important common environmental issues for countries in Northern Europe. Today's environmental problems are, however, the collective result of political decisions made in the past. Hence there is an evident need to understand the current environmental changes of the Baltic Sea from historical and social perspectives.

Project leader: PhD, Researcher Simo Laakkonen
Researchers: Sari Laurila, Tuomas Räsänen
Funding: Academy of Finland, BIREME research programme
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Previous research project

The Sea and the Cities project studied the environmental history of urban water pollution and protection in the Baltic Sea region in the 19th and the 20th century. Altogether 13 cities and 40 students and senior scientists participated. Homepage