A Multidisciplinary Project
on Environmental History

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 countries. The pollution of the sea 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 perspectives.

The Sea and the Cities project has 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.

Approaches to the environmental history of the Baltic Sea project aims to answer how the Baltic Sea was perceived to be endangered by pollution and eutrophication, and who acted, why and how in order to protect the sea in different regions, eras or political systems.

Links to other enviromental history websites

Portal of environmental history presents results of various environmental history projects coordinated by Simo Laakkonen at the department of social science history, University of Helsinki.

Environmental history of Helsinki. Helsinki serves as an example, how the everyday life changes when a pre-industrial town is transformed into a post-industrial city. Cross sections of urban history present glimpses of past and present ways of life, work and leisure in 1850, 1900 and 1950.

Last updated 03.02.2009.