Organizations are turning to new approaches to protect the needs of both people and the planet.
The environment is at the top of the global agenda. The world's population has more than doubled since 1960, and it’s estimated to reach 8 billion by 2024. Rising consumption rates throughout the world are placing an unprecedented strain on food supplies and natural resources. To address these challenges, to address the important question we face as a society: how to meet our needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
The Baltic Sea is in critical condition, with multiple environmental challenges threatening its future.
In the Baltic Sea, wastewater and agricultural runoff from fertilized fields are leading to eutrophication, a process that decreases the oxygen critical to marine life and causes severe algal blooms. Hazardous substances—such as flame-retardants, dioxins, and pharmaceuticals—are contaminating the waters and driving up toxin levels in the fish that are hauled in. In addition, overfishing has depleted important commercial fish stocks such as cod, herring, and sprat, despite some recent progress in addressing the issue.
The strong projected growth of the region will only place more demands on the sea’s limited resources unless actions are taken to address these problems and restore the waters to health.: