GB No. 4, spring 1991
The countries around the Baltic are well aware of the disastrous ecological situation of the sea and its coasts. Obvious are the threat of extinction of the seals and the dramatic decline in fish populations. More detailed investigations indicate that up to 50 per cent of the seabottom is now devoid of oxygen and aerobic life. The situation is aggravated by the very slow circulation and renewal of water in the Baltic. The most severe polluters of the Baltic are industries and cities situated by the sea. The rivers, such as the Vistula, transport large volumes of polluted water from the adjacent countries, and agriculture in the coastal areas adds excess fertilizer to the sea. The Baltic Sea concerns the surrounding countries as a whole and not only coastal areas. It is obvious that amelioration of the conditions in the Baltic requires improved control of industrial and municipal exhausts, better waste management, cleaner technologies, etc. Efficient activity in this field needs new legislation, new technologies and big capital to be invested in the pro-industrial and pro-ecological efforts. International cooperation between Poland and Scandinavian countries is developing and will be described.
Piotr Kowalik, Professor
Technical University of Gdańsk