On April the 22nd, we celebrate Earth Day! This day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970 in order to bring attention to emerging environmental issues. Today, it is recognised as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people scattered across 190 countries. It is a day of action to change human behaviour and create global, national and local policy changes.
As marked in the 2016 Paris Agreements, one of the main global goals is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to keep the global temperature below 1,5°C. Greenhouse gas emissions are today the primary cause of rising global sea level and more extreme weather conditions. The Baltic Sea region is not an exception: here the effects of climate change impact salinity and sea-level dynamics. In this framework, the South Baltic region is particularly vulnerable to these dynamics due to the high concentration of population and the presence of intensive agriculture and industry along its coast.
This year, the Earth Day theme is “Invest in Our Planet,” bringing the focus on the implementation of sustainable practices in companies’ businesses. Recent studies show a direct correlation between sustainable business practices, share prices, and business performance. Companies who develop strong Environment Social Governance (ESG) standards do not just contribute to decreasing their impact on the environment, but they also record better profitability, stronger financials, happier employees, and more resilient stock performance. As Interreg South Baltic, we support joint-cross-border projects from small and medium-sized enterprises aimed at fostering blue and green growth in the region, as well as supporting sustainable tourism and green technologies.
