Uppsala / Copenhagen / Stralsund, 26 October 2023
Mr. Thomas Danielsen, Minister of Transport of Denmark,
Mr. Magnus Heunicke, Minister of Environment of Denmark
Dear Sirs,
We, environmental and youth NGOs from 11 countries of the Baltic Sea region, representing over 1,500,000 concerned citizens,
including young people, are writing to you to express our deep concern about the construction of Lynetteholm island.
You know the case very well and we will be brief.
The Baltic Sea is brackish water and only receives oxygen rich salt water from the Atlantic Ocean through Øresund, Great Belt
and Little Belt. So, Denmark is holding in its hands the gate for the salt water and oxygen that are vital for the Baltic Sea. You
have the privilege to decide to let it in or block it in some way
–
knowing that even small changes in the saline water flow to the
Baltic Sea will affect the entire Baltic Sea.
It is articulated in the media that Lynetteholm is a
'necessary storm surge protection'.
But having read independent scientists'
and authorities' letters and reasoned points of view, we see that other much less invasive solutions exist to protect Copenhagen.
In its current design the blocking effects of Lynetteholm are of cross-border scale, meaning that the effect on the salinity that
may occur will have an impact throughout the Baltic Sea
–
affecting all countries around it.
Furthermore, the impaired stability of the Baltic Sea's water column may cause derivative effects accumulating over time and
thus affecting salinity beyond the immediate effect. According to Stiig Markager, Professor of marine ecology and biochemistry
at Aarhus University, there is a high degree of certainty that even a minor reduction in the salinity of the Baltic Sea will have
significant negative consequences for biodiversity and the ecological state of the Baltic Sea.
Establishing a complete blockage of Kongedybet presents a significant intervention into the Baltic Sea environment
–
therefore
it should be elucidated very thoroughly, evaluated in a professional consultation process that includes all countries around the
Baltic Sea. Are you willing to do this?
Why does this action need to be taken? It is our future and the future of our children who will live by the Baltic Sea. And if the
marine environment will go worse and worse slightly, but constantly, every day
–
and the decision about it is taken right now
–
do you really want this future for us? In some 50-70 years what kind of Sea will we, our children have before our eyes?
Many projects with an effect on the marine environment are currently underway. It is evident that the cumulative effects of
these projects will have consequences that are far greater than the effects of each of the projects alone.
Therefore, we, young people of the Baltic Sea Region do respectfully and empathically ask you to promptly engage an independ-
ent multinational marine expert body that will have a clear overview of the cumulative environmental effects of all projects in
the marine areas and the responsibility for the status of Øresund and the Baltic Sea.
Until such an expert body has been established and the review of impacts done, we kindly urge you to immediately put the
project on hold and consult all countries that may be environmentally - and hence financially - affected by the project. This is
imperative as transboundary impact certainly cannot be excluded with certainty.
To personalize the discussion and avoid errors in reasoning about this huge and ambitious project, we propose to have an urgent
face-to-face meeting as soon as possible
–
at any time convenient to you. We are young, and a live discussion can help us resolve
more questions than any thoughtfully written letter.
We live in a vulnerable environment, and good cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries is an absolute necessity
–
not only
to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea, but also to see us move towards a better future. Our future ought to be
built by responsible leaders in each of our countries. It is not possible to act alone in this endeavor - and it is never too late to
admit and change an unwise decision.
Yours sincerely,
On behalf of the Youth Group of
Coalition Clean Baltic
On behalf of The Green Youth
Movement in Denmark
On behalf of the Youth Association
for the Protection of Nature (NAJU)
Mikhail Durkin,
CCB Executive Secretary
Maren Høj Muff
Jan Göldner
Youth Spokesperson for the
Federal Executive Board
Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB),
Östra Ågatan 53, SE-753 22 Uppsala, Sweden; +4618711170;
[email protected]; www.ccb.se
Org. number:
802015-1281
Coalition Clean Baltic CCBnetwork
CCB is Member of IUCN, BSAС; GWP Partner; Observer at HELCOM, NASCO, IWC.
Coalition Clean Baltic is a network of environmental NGOs sponsored by:
Ecohome
Danish Society for Nature Conservation
Estonian Green Movement
Estonian Water Association
Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
Bund
für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, BUND
Nature
And Biodiversity Conservation Union - NABU
Environmental Protection Club of Latvia
Latvian Green Movement
Lithuanian
Fund for Nature
Polish Ecological Club, PKE
Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
Ecoterra
Association
SOFIA
The
Western Center of the Ukrainian Branch of the World Laboratory, Ukraine
ZeroWaste
Lviv
Environmentalists Without Borders