An Assessment of Adaptation Strategies in the Baltic Sea Region: A Two-Country Analysis

Abstract

The Baltic Sea is located in northeastern Europe and is the largest brackish sea surrounded by nine countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Due to its fragile ecosystem, the Baltic Sea’s vulnerability in climate change has been studied by several international organizations by multidisciplinary groups. With the release of the recommendation from the white paper by the European Union in April of 2009, the need for adaptation strategies is reaffirmed in the area and today consensus on the need for national adaptation policy has been built among Baltic Sea countries. This paper offers an overall assessment of adaptation strategies in the Baltic Sea Region and outlines the results of a comparative analysis of two countries, namely Latvia and Sweden. The two countries’ advancements in terms of releasing official climate change adaptation strategies are presented, as well as the areas each of their policies or suggested policies cover. Finally, both countries are placed into context with Baltic Sea neighbours with similar socioeconomical characteristics to offer a more rounded view of the general situation in the region.