Baltic sea gets a chance to be Bjorn again

Financier Bjorn Carlsson, aged 70, has donated SEK500 (zł.206) million of his own money to help improve the quality of the heavily polluted Baltic Sea.

"Through my donation, I expect to see concrete measures and results within 10 to 12 years, and not just investigations," Carlsson said. "Efforts based on wise decisions and good research can reverse the negative development of the Baltic Sea."

The cash will fund a new foundation at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which will identify the main problems facing the Baltic and suggest realistic, practical solutions to help clean up the sea. The plan is to tackle the Baltic's problems in a creative way using both natural and social scientists from around the Baltic Sea. The funds will be invested in innovative research and experiments and the establishment of a network of researchers with a variety of expertise.

The foundation will also consult with decision-makers from around the Baltic Sea, which borders Poland, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany and Denmark. The foundation also hopes to take on projects that many researchers would like to perform "if they only had the money," including large-scale experiments.

Think tanks will also be established using researchers from the entire Baltic region. The aim is for the foundation's projects to work jointly with initiatives and investments already underway and to encourage young scientists.

Heavy pollution and toxic algae have blighted the Baltic Sea, particularly due to modern shipping traffic and increased oil transportation. Environmentalists worry that the sea's fish stocks have already been overly depleted, and some countries, such as Sweden, have adopted strict fishing quotas in response.

According to Lars Kristoferson, the head of the Swedish branch of the World Wildlife Fund, some work has been done to combat pollution, but so far these efforts have had little impact.

"We now have completely new possibilities to do something good with the Baltic Sea," Kristoferson said. "It has just gotten worse, and [Carlsson] has realized that. There has been a lot of talk about the Baltic Sea, but very little action. That is why this kind of donation is so valuable."

Carlsson made his fortune as the head of a private investment management company during the 1990s. Previously, he was CEO of Aktiv Placering bank. He sold his company to Skandia in November 1999. (Reuters)