A joint effort to protect the Baltic Sea ecosystem
One of the core goals of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme is to support partners from countries around the Baltic Sea in working together to face the existing environmental challenges. Partners in plentiful transnational projects have been able to bring their bright and innovative ideas to life and to guide the Baltic Sea region towards a greener and more sustainable future.
From reducing the negative impact of hazardous substances and nutrient load to the water, through increasing the overall region’s energy efficiency, advancing a sustainable use of the marine resources to developing more sustainable transport solutions in the area - the variety of activities proving the value of working as if there were no borders is high. The projects’ achievements have also been feeding into the targets of reaching climate neutrality by 2050, as the EU Green Deal states.
During Earth Day 2021, we would like to present selected Interreg projects that reduce the harmful effects of climate change on the Baltic Sea ecosystem and beyond, focusing both on climate adaptation and mitigation.
A few examples of Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects tackling climate change:
On energy efficiency and renewable energies:
CAMS Platform: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Synergies in Energy Efficiency Projects
The negative impacts of climate change on human and natural ecosystems can be minimised by substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. High energy-consuming housing and production sectors still leave a major carbon footprint. The CAMS Platform improves energy efficiency measures by aligning research, recommendations, audits, and investments from 11 projects across the Baltic Sea region and beyond. Click here to learn more about the platform as well as the projects represented there.
BalticBiomass4Value: Unlocking the Potential of Bio-based Value Chains in the Baltic Sea Region
Unlike wind and sun, biomass can be stored and used when needed, making it a reliable source of energy. The BalticBiomass4Value project increases the efficient and sustainable use of biomass for energy production and valuable bio-products, such as food, feed, fertilisers, chemicals, and cosmetics. For more information on the project, visit our project library.
On sustainable maritime and land transport:
Cities.multimodal: Urban transport system in transition towards low carbon mobility
The project made it easier for people in cities around the Baltic Sea to combine walking, cycling, public transport, and car-sharing as an environmentally friendly alternative to driving. The partners developed and apply an approach to sustainable urban mobility planning for such multimodal transport that is easy to adopt in other cities. It includes publicly visible mobility points and smartphone-based travel planning as well as a planners’ handbook and a toolbox to manage mobility. Visit our website for more information.
EnviSuM: Environmental Impact of Low Emission Shipping
The Interreg project EnviSuM provided policymakers and ship owners with sound evidence that strict, global environmental regulations of shipping can benefit human health and the environment without threatening business – the Baltic Sea served as the globally unique test case. Click here to learn more about the project and its achievements.
On the circular economy:
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CIRCULAR PP: Using innovation procurement and capacity building to promote Circular Economy
A traditional procurement model does not consider the re-use or recycling of purchased goods or services. The project promotes a circular procurement model, which takes into account the lifecycle of products throughout the supply chain. The development of tools, exchange of best practices, training, and building capacity among procurers, suppliers, and policymakers for circular products stimulates the development of new business models. Click here for more details on the project.
BIS: Baltic Industrial Symbiosis
The project promotes industrial symbiosis, a concept for sustainable regional development, across the Baltic Sea region. Industrial symbiosis means connecting companies from different industries in order to use one company’s waste, in the form of e.g. energy, ingredients, or materials, as a resource for the next company. The project establishes peer-to-peer exchange for industrial symbiosis practitioners. It develops new business and finance models and sets up the BSR Industrial Symbiosis Council as a platform for dialogue and policy learning. Learn more about the project aims and achievements here.
Above mentioned projects are just a few examples of the larger catalogue of projects which contribute to protecting and preserving the natural ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. To view them all, visit the project library.
Interreg Baltic Sea Region is a source of EU funding for smart ideas of how to shape the region. We provide more than money: We create an environment for working together to let great solutions become common practice.