Approaches to the environmental history of the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a unifying element for the nine countries surrounding the sea and for the about 90 million people living in its catchment area. It is often said that the Baltic Sea is the most polluted and the most protected sea in the world. Nevertheless, the long history of pollution and protection of the Baltic Sea remains completely unstudied. Historical analysis of the successes and failures of local, national, and international environmental institutions and issues gives insights to the future management of environment of the Baltic Sea. The project is based on the results provided by The Sea and the Cities -project which gave an empirical overview of the origins of water pollution and protection on the local level. The following questions will be studied on national level: 1) When, where and how the Baltic Sea was perceived to be endangered by pollution and eutrophication? 2) Who acted, why and how in order to protect the sea in different regions, eras or political systems?
Project leader: PhD, Researcher Simo Laakkonen
Researchers: Sari Laurila, Tuomas Räsänen
Funding: Academy of Finland, BIREME research programme

Articles

Laurila, S. K. & Laakkonen, S. J. 2004: The municipal continuum: Research on maritime water pollution in Helsinki in the 20th century. Boreal Env. Res.9:529–541.
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Räsänen, Tuomas & Laakkonen, Simo: Suomi Itämeren kansainvälisessä suojelupolitiikassa. Idäntutkimus 2/2005.

Laakkonen, Simo & Lehmuskoski, Antti: Musta meri, öljyonnettomuuksien ympäristöhistoriaa Suomessa vuoteen 1969. Historiallinen aikakauskirja 4/2005, 381-396.

Laakkonen, Simo & Lehmuskoski, Antti: Suomen rannikolla musta menneisyys. Helsingin Sanomat: Tiede ja luonto. 7.3.2006, D2.

Räsänen, Tuomas & Laakkonen, Simo: Cold war and the environment, the role of Finland in international environmental politics in the Baltic Sea region. Ambio vol 36, No 2-3, April 2007, pp. 229-236.

Räsänen, Tuomas & Laakkonen, Simo: Institutionalization of an international environmental policy regime: the Helsinki convention, Finland and the Cold War. In Joas, M., Jahn, D. & Kern, K. (Eds.) Governing the common sea - environmental policies in the Baltic Sea Region, Earthscan, UK, 2008, pp. 43-59.

Links

HELCOM, Helsinki Commission - Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
BASICS, Baltic Sea Region Statistical Database on Sustainable Development, Natural Resources and Environment
Information office for the Baltic proper at the County Administrative Board of Stockholm
The Baltic University Programme is a network of more than 170 universities and other institutes in the Baltic Sea region. The network is coordinated by Uppsala University, Sweden.
The Baltic Sea Project provides environmental education for schools.
Baltic Sea Web, Marine Environment Bibliography
Baltic Sea Portal is maintained by the Finnish Institute of Marine Research

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