For the protection of the Baltic Sea environment
The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region for present and future generations.
CCB's Member Organizations
CCB unites Member and Observer organizations, as well as partners and individual experts in all countries of the Baltic Sea Region.
Combined, the CCB member organizations have almost 1 500 000 members in all countries surrounding the Baltic Sea.
News
During the last CCB General Meeting , held online on 18 November 2024, CCB welcomed a new Member Organization in its network: the Finnish Society for Nature and Environment (Natur och Miljö), from Finland.
Uppsala/Helsinki, 12 December 2024 - Today, we have launched a new publication, Accelerating the Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation , addressing the urgent need for the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) governments to enhance their efforts in implementing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) . As submitted for discussion to the 6th HELCOM Informal Consultation Session of the Heads of Delegation (HOD) - which is currently taking place in Helsinki, Finland - this publication emphasizes that ecological recovery requires immediate, coordinated action. Our lives in the Baltic Sea region depend on healthy and diverse marine and coastal ecosystems. Protecting, restoring, and maintaining their health is vital to sustaining our future. However, the latest HELCOM holistic assessment (HOLAS 3) shows the Baltic Sea is not on a path to recovery . Pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, and cumulative impacts of human activities continue to grow, jeopardizing our shared marine ecosystem. In our publication, we outline the critical actions required to reverse this trend and achieve a Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Baltic Sea by 2030 . Key Recommendations Include: Strengthening political commitment to prioritize BSAP targets; Embedding Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) as a core principle; Allocating necessary financial and human resources to meet BSAP obligations; Enhancing cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration at all levels; Ensuring accountability through transparent evaluation and monitoring mechanisms; Adhering to agreed deadlines with consequences for non-compliance and addressing ongoing ecocide. “ The HOLAS 3 report makes it certainly clear: incomplete and delayed measures are stalling the recovery of the Baltic Sea ,” said Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary. “ Governments must take coordinated and sustained efforts to fulfill their commitments under the BSAP, ensuring a healthy and resilient marine ecosystem for future generations .” This publication not only identifies priority actions but also highlights the challenges and solutions associated with achieving BSAP targets. We urge all Baltic Sea Region countries to live up to their responsibility and immediately and effectively follow up on the commitments of the HELCOM BSAP. For further details, or to access the publication, click here .
EU LIFE operating grants: ensuring public participation in the development of environmental policy, enabling civil society engagement to strengthen democracy and support the European project.
4 December 2024 - The UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in Busan, South Korea, was supposed to be the fifth and final round of negotiations to produce the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by the end of 2024. However, it concluded in early December 2024 without an agreement, leaving countries with an extended deadline and a proposal by the Chair to resume talks at an additional session (INC 5.2) in 2025 to resolve outstanding disagreements. Countries will use the latest version of the Chair’s text as the basis for the continued negotiations. Plastic production & global warming At the heart of the discussions was whether the treaty would include limits on plastic production. Over 100 nations, including small island states, African countries, and several European and developing nations like Norway and Mexico, along with the EU, supported a proposal to set a global target for reducing plastic production. Many have emphasized that this is essential to address chemicals of concern. However, for some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, such a proposal crossed a red line. The plan of petrochemical states to maintain plastic production growth threatens to derail global climate goals. Every year, the world produces more than 360 million tonnes of new plastic. Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050. Scientists estimate that a 75% reduction in plastic production is needed by 2040 to keep global warming to 1.5°C. Without such cuts, plastic production alone could consume up to 31% of the world’s remaining carbon budget to stay within that critical temperature threshold. Plastic & health The economic burden of health impacts is growing. Research by the Endocrine Society revealed that merely four groups of plastic-related chemicals are responsible for health expenses exceeding $400 billion annually in the United States. On a global scale, the UN Environment Programme cautions that failing to address chemical and plastic pollution could result in costs reaching as high as 10% of the world’s GDP. Microplastics have been found in air, fresh produce, and even human breast milk. In animals, such as fish, these broken-down bits of larger plastics have been linked to lower levels of growth and reproduction, among other issues. Researchers are still working to determine more conclusively whether microplastics pose a direct risk to human health, and if so, at what level. Finance Another key area of contention was the financial support for developing country parties. At least 126 countries have called for an independent, dedicated fund to assist with treaty implementation. However, the Chair’s draft weakened this demand, and this is one of the issues will be furthered discussed at INC-5.2 – as well as the proposal of establishment of a polymer production fee, a widely supported mechanism for funding global action.