News » Baltic Breakfast: The New Baltic Sea Action Plan - Contributions from Science

HELCOM?s programme for the Baltic Sea environment, the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), is upfor revision. The current plan was adopted by the Baltic coastal statesand the EU in 2007 and aimed to restore good ecological status to theBaltic marine environment by 2021. The plan sets targets and shares theburden amongst the countries, including areas such as reducingeutrophication, reducing the presence of dangerous substances, improvingbiodiversity and achieving sustainable maritime activities.

As the target year 2021 approaches it has become clearer that theambitious goals of the BSAP will not be fully reached by next year. Thework to update the plan is now in full gear, so a new version can beadopted by Baltic Sea state ministers in the autumn of 2021. A lot hashappened in research since the plan was first adopted and today thereare a lot of new aspects that need to be taken into consideration, bothwhen it comes to the targets and which measures are needed to achievethe goals.

Scientists at the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre have playedan important role in contributing to the scientific basis for theupdated BSAP, in particular for eutrophication and hazardous substances.At the October Baltic Breakfast, Bo Gustafsson, oceanographer anddirector of the Baltic Nest Institute, will talk about how the burdensharing (how much each coastal state has committed to reduce emissionsof nutrients) in the current plan came about. The reduction burdens willnow be updated to emission ceilings for each country. Why is that, andwhat difference will it make in practice?

Emma Undeman, a researcher in environmental sciences with a focus onchemicals, supplies HELCOM with background documents on hazardoussubstances in the Baltic Sea. She has recently completed a series of reportson the status of certain hazardous substances in the Baltic: dioxins,PCB, brominated flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS) and diclofenac. At the Baltic Breakfast webinar she will presentthe challenges of developing new measures in the updated BSAP, anddescribe the state of knowledge about some of the hazardous substancesthat currently result in poor status of the Baltic Sea.

Welcome to the breakfast webinar on the scientific background for the next BSAP!

Practical information

The Baltic Breakfast webinar is broadcast at this webpage 7 October 8.30-9.15 (local time in Sweden, GMT +2).

No registration is needed.

The webinar will be recorded and can be watched afterwards at this same webpage.

Participants:

Bo Gustafsson, researcher in oceanography, Director of the Baltic Nest Institute at Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Emma Undeman, researcher in environmental sciences with a focus on chemicals, at the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

About Baltic Breakfast

Baltic Breakfast is a series of short breakfast webinarsorganised by the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre. Their aim is topresent the latest knowledge about issues of central importance to theBaltic Sea environment. The breakfast webinars are addressed to peoplein different sectors working for a sustainable development in the BalticSea region ? and in particular to those who are already interested inBaltic Sea issues.

The event website: https://www.su.se/ostersjocentrum/kommunikation/evenemang/baltic-breakfast/baltic-breakfast-the-new-baltic-sea-action-plan-contributions-from-science-1.515361.