The Baltic Sea faces “critical challenges” due to the climate crisis and degradation of biodiversity, a report has said, as Sweden’s coastguard battled to contain the impact of an oil spill off the country’s southern shore.
On Monday the Swedish coastguard extracted about 20 cubic metres of oil from the Baltic, bringing the total to about 50 cubic metres, after a ferry ran aground three times off Hörvik in southern Sweden. Jannica Haldin, the deputy executive secretary of Helcom and coordinator of the report, said: “The findings serve as a sobering reminder that the Baltic Sea faces critical challenges stemming from human activities. The importance of transboundary cooperation, a shift towards genuinely environmentally sustainable practices and long-term commitment cannot be overstated.”
The Baltic’s poor environmental status was also affecting the profitability of fisheries and tourism, the report found.