Let’s stop a new disaster in the Oder River!

CCB • February 10, 2023

International coalition criticizes sluggish government action

On 8 February 2023, organizations from the international coalition “Time for the Oder” and from the coalition “Save the Rivers” concerned about the situation of the Oder river met in Wrocław to exchange information and agree on joint initiatives. We want governments to take real action to reduce salinity, microplastics and other pollutants in the Oder.

Several months have passed since the environmental disaster, caused by the poisoning of the Oder River, took place. Unfortunately, the situation on the river has not improved significantly. The only thing saving us from another tragedy is the cold season. Higher water levels in the river and lower temperatures inhibit the bloom of golden algae still present in the waters of the Oder and Gliwice Canal. We are anxiously waiting for spring, because the salinity of the Oder is still very high. Golden algae are still abundant and as temperatures rise, the risk of them multiplying again and releasing prymnesin – a deadly poison for fish and mollusks – increases. Unfortunately, there is no clear and effective plan on the horizon to remedy the situation, and sewage and mine tailings water continue to be discharged into the river. Despite the fact that the Oder is a transnational river, flowing through the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, there is no intergovernmental constructive cooperation on the issue. This is all the more astonishing since we are talking about a river important to three countries which are all members of the European Union.


Ewa Leś, CCB´s expert on governance for transboundary freshwater security says: "Among the primary objectives of intergovernmental bodies such as the International Commission on the Protection of the Oder against Pollution (ICPO) is the prevention of pollution of the Oder and Baltic waters; trilateral governmental cooperation and actions to reduce this pollution are essential."


In contrast to the governments, civil organizations from Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic are working closely together for the benefit of the Oder River.


On 8 February 2023, organizations from the international coalition “Time for the Oder” and from the coalition “Save the Rivers” concerned about the situation of the Oder met in Wrocław to exchange information and agree on joint initiatives. We want governments to take real action to reduce salinity, microplastics and other pollutants in the Oder finally. Plans for further regulation of the river and hydrotechnical works, pushed especially hard by the Polish side, will certainly not help the river’s ecological situation.


– "Further regulation will not only negatively affect the rate at which the Oder river recovers its biodiversity, but will also weaken the river’s ability to clean itself. This carries the risk of even bigger disasters than the one in August last year." – says Dorota Chmielowiec-Tyszko of the Time for the Oder Coalition – "We will do everything to counteract this. We are working on our own plan to heal the river, and we are inviting the governments of all the countries along the Oder to cooperate: Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic."
 

NOTES

More detailed information can be found on:


CCB is an international member of Time for Oder coalition. For more info contact our representative: ewa.les@ccb.se

COP30 brings ocean and water to the center of climate policy

By CCB • December 5, 2025
In Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference COP30 immediately set the bar high. In his opening speech, Brazilian President Lula da Silva stressed that climate change is no longer a "threat to the future", but a tragedy that the world is already experiencing here and now, and called on countries to accelerate actions rather than limit themselves to promises. However, as is often the case in COP meetings, the political reality turned out to be more complicated than ambitions. Negotiations were difficult: the countries could not agree on a clear and binding plan to phase out fossil fuels. It is important to note that the Global Action Plan has provided a platform for discussing the development of a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change. At the same time, COP30 has brought tangible progress in other areas: the countries agreed to triple the amount of adaptation funding for developing countries by 2035, strengthened the forest and ocean agenda, and expanded the range of practical initiatives under the Action Agenda . COP30 consolidated the trend: from "water at the center of the climate crisis" to a holistic ocean agenda closely related to energy, food, biodiversity and sustainable coastal development. From the COP29 Water Declaration to the COP30 Enhanced Ocean Water Program At COP29 in Baku, the Declaration on Water for Climate Action was adopted , with the aim to applying comprehensive approaches to combating the causes and consequences of climate change for water basins, emphasizing also the need to integrate water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). COP30 did not reverse this logic, but expanded it towards the ocean and coasts. Both processes "aquatic" and "oceanic" are moving in the same direction: integration of water, coasts and ocean into the climate plans of countries; development of nature-based solutions; strengthening transboundary management of water and marine systems; recognizing adaptation as an equal part of climate policy, rather than an "adjunct" to emissions reduction. Task Force on Oceans and the Blue NDC Challenge The international Task Force on Oceans , led by Brazil and France, was officially presented at the high-level ministerial meeting "From Ambition to Implementation: Delivering on Ocean Commitments" on 18 November, integrating oceans into a global mechanism to accelerate the incorporation of marine solutions into national climate plans. The Blue Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Challenge encourages countries to set ocean protection targets when updating their NDCs. The goal is to transition the Blue NDC Challenge into an Implementation Task Force. Members of the Blue NDC Challenge, currently 17 countries, can adopt a broad set of actions aimed at the protection and sustainable use of the oceans.These measures include the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems, supported by tools such as marine spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management, and climate-aligned marine protected areas. Countries are also encouraged to support sustainable and climate-resilient fishing and aquaculture, ensuring ocean health and long-term food security. B razil has set a clear example: its updated NDC includes a separate chapter on the ocean and coastal zones. For the first time, the national climate plan (Plano Clima) until 2035 includes a thematic adaptation plan for these areas. Priorities include the completion of national Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) by 2030 and major programs for the conservation and restoration of mangroves and coral reefs (ProManguezal, ProCoral).

Pathway to Tox-Free Living: Policy and Action

By CCB • November 24, 2025
Leading scientists, consumer advocates and policymakers gathered on November, 18th in Brussels for the conference "From Evidence to Policy: Toward a Tox free Living Environment" . They warned that exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in homes and consumer products represents a silent but severe public health and economic crisis. New findings presented to over 65 participants by the EU Baltic Sea Interreg project NonHazCity3 , LIFE ChemBee and the ToxFree LIFE for All projects as well as revealed widespread contamination of European households by complex chemical mixtures of hormone system disrupting substances (so called endocrine disrupters – EDCs) that contribute to chronic disease and impose enormous health costs. According to the key note speaker Dr. Aleksandra Rutkowska, the home environment is a significant source of exposure to EDCs through indoor air, dust and daily contact with common products. Current research links such exposure to a shocking amount of lifestyle diseases including 22 cancer outcomes, 18 metabolic disorder outcomes and 17 cardiovascular disease outcomes. Scientists also stressed that the crisis spans generations. EDCs trigger epigenetic changes that not only affect today’s population but also future children and even grandchildren. Other effects include reproduction disorders. Over the last decade, 150 million babies were born preterm, and evidence shows that reducing the use of plastics by half could cut the risk of preterm birth by half as well.