Baltic Sea Action Summit to convene in Helsinki on Wednesday

A total of 137 Baltic Sea commitments received so far

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On Wednesday, hundreds of members of the political, economic, and scientific elites from the different Baltic Sea countries are to participate in the Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki.
     
The international summit has been organised by President Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre), and the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) Foundation. Participation in the summit will be by invitation only.
      Corporate executives and corporate owners who commit themselves to taking action either in their own name or in the name of their corporations have been invited as members.
      The organisers have expected participants at the summit to set ambitious timetables for results, and to make commitments on emission reductions and monetary contributions according to what their authority is.
     
A total of 137 commitments have been received from businesses and public corporations to help the threatened Baltic Sea. The initial target was 50.
      Among the participants are the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and five other heads of state or government.
      In addition to the heads of state or government, executives from corporations and organisations, scientists, and ordinary citizens are coming to Helsinki in order to attend the summit.
     
The purpose was to gather together those who have money, power, and expertise, says Ilkka Herlin, the Chairman of the Baltic Sea Action Group. Herlin has been active in the BSAG from the beginning as a founding member and financier.
      Strong commitment and actions aimed at protecting the Baltic Sea are the things that Chairman Herlin expects from the Baltic Sea Action Summit on Wednesday.
      ”This time it is not money that decides but expertise”, Herlin emphasises.
     
The BSAG also intends to keep an eye on how the commitments made by corporations and organisations are carried out, while the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) is expected to monitor the actions of states.
      ”Those who have made a public commitment on measures to save the Baltic have a moral obligation to carry out what they have promised”, Herlin notes.
      Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has made a commitment contributing to the recovery of the Archipelago Sea in such a way that the sea area will be in good condition by 2020.
     
President Tarja Halonen has committed herself to advance the work carried out for the good of the Baltic Sea with the focus on the youth, schools, and NGOs.
      Moreover, Prime Minister Putin has promised that the construction of a water purification plant in the city of Kaliningrad will be continued.
      The water purification project in Kaliningrad has been pending for 15 years. Following some disputes over contracting, the entire project nearly failed last summer.
      The venture is important for the Baltic Sea, as the waste waters of some 400,000 residents are now flowing directly into the sea.
     
The interests of corporations and governments are by no means conflicting, Herlin says.
      ”Corporate executives and corporate owners understand very well that if the environment is destroyed, their operating environment is ruined as well”, Ilkka Herlin argues.
      ”Climate change issues have shown us that the only possible way to make progress is through global cooperation. The Baltic Sea is the same thing in miniature. If we are not able to fix this, how are we supposed to solve global problems?” asks Herlin, Chairman of the Board of Cargotec, a manufacturer of load-handling equipment.
     
The list of potential threats to the Baltic Sea is uncomfortably long, including eutrophication, high toxin levels, and heavy sea traffic and related risks.
      The Baltic Sea has been choking on emissions for several decades, with large parts of the sea bottom showing no signs of life.
      At present, there are further concerns over the implications of the increasing use of chemical fertilisers by farms in the Baltic Countries and Poland, while Finland has also not managed to reduce agricultural emissions as much as it would have liked.
      A particular threat for the Baltic Sea is the growing volume of oil transports. In fact, the annual volume of oil shipments in the Baltic Sea is expected to grow from the present 150 million tons to 250 million tons by 2015.
      At the same time, the traffic in general is also becoming heavier.
      The number of vessels constantly sailing in the Baltic Sea is 2,000, and the number is expected to rise to 3,500 by 2015.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  King of Sweden and Vladimir Putin to attend Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki (2.2.2010)
  Summit planned in Helsinki to save Baltic Sea (22.9.2009)
  High dioxin levels in sea trout in Baltic Sea (19.5.2009)
  St. Petersburg reduces phosphorous emissions into Gulf of Finland (2.10.2007)
  Baltic Sea needs urgent attention (14.4.2008)
  Poll: Finns, Swedes, and Estonians very worried about pollution of Baltic Sea (16.5.2008)

See also:
  Finland to ban phosphates in laundry detergent (29.1.2010)

Links:
  Baltic Sea Action Summit

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