"Focus on the Coast” – The history and current best practices of coastal protection in the face of climate change

CCB • March 14, 2025

14 March 2025 – The newly released documentary video "Focus on the Coast" takes an in-depth look at the pressing environmental threats facing the Baltic Sea coastline.

Produced by Ecodefense and Coalition Clean Baltic, with financial support from the EU LIFE Programme (*), the 1-hour film explores the devastating effects of intensified storms and rising sea levels, alongside inspiring and best conservation practices in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. 


Global climate change has led to catastrophic storms and floods in the Baltic Sea region, destroying unique ecosystems and causing significant harm to communities and infrastructure. However, the Baltic region has a long history of coastal conservation, with valuable lessons learned and innovative solutions implemented. "Focus on the Coast" dives deep into this critical issue, highlighting both the threats and the measures being taken to safeguard these vulnerable coastal areas.


“With this documentary, we aim to showcase not only the challenges facing the Baltic coasts but also the efforts of those working tirelessly to protect them,” said Alexandra Koroleva, Ecodefense Co-Chairwoman, author and producer of the documentary video. “By featuring real stories and interviews with local activists and scientists, we hope to inspire action and demonstrate that effective coastal protection is possible”.


Through experts’ insights and on-the-ground footage, viewers gain insight into why these areas need protection, the specific strategies being implemented, and how they are making a difference. The documentary also underscores the gap between international recommendations—such as those from HELCOM (2014)—and the reality of policy implementation, emphasizing the need for stronger action from governments and policymakers.


Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial role in advocating for policy change, collaborating with scientists, independently exploring the coast and taking part in practical work on coastal conservation, participating in public hearings on environmental impact assessments (EIA), organizing educational programs, working with media, attracting and engaging local residents, and encouraging municipalities to act.


"Focus on the Coast" serves as a vital educational tool to support these initiatives, providing high-quality visual materials that communicate the scale of the problem and the importance of sustainable coastal management.


The documentary video it´s released on CCB´s YouTube channel and will be distributed through Coalition Clean Baltic´s network and partners to raise awareness and reach policymakers, scientists, and the general public. 


For more information, please contact:

Alexandra Koroleva, Ecodefense Co-Chairwoman, author and producer of the documentary video, ecosasha@gmail.com

 

(*) Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.



 

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat

By CCB • April 9, 2025
Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 27 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.

Attacks on NGOs: 570+ Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society

By CCB • April 7, 2025
European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative. European CSOs are crucial to ensure the voices of citizens from different parts of Europe are heard in the EU institutions. Attacks against civil society are unfortunately not new and are exacerbated by this harmful idea. Furthermore, for-profit corporate lobbying is through the roof when compared to non-profit advocacy. In 2024, the 50 corporations with the largest lobbying budgets collectively spent nearly €200 million on lobbying the EU alone (66% more than in 2015). Comparing this to the funding environmental NGOs receive under the LIFE programme - €15.6 million annually of a €700 million yearly budget - truly shows the weakness of this ‘scandal’. This is why over 570 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including all EU Member States, have joined forces to call on those in power to act now and ensure that civil society is adequately funded and enabled to share our crucial perspectives . In this statement, we address: The source of this false narrative; Inaccurate claims made about how CSOs obtain and use funding; Why it’s paramount that CSOs receive sufficient funding; The need for civil dialogue to enable CSOs participation. Democracy is about the right of citizens to be collectively heard for building an inclusive society and a shared European future; properly funded independent CSOs are a crucial tool for that. We call on decision-makers to ensure civil society organisations can thrive and play their role in interacting with policy-makers in order to have a more fully informed decision-making process. Read the full statement here . -END Civil Society Europe (CSE) is the coordination of civil society organisations at EU level. Through its membership, CSE unites EU-level membership-based organisations that reach out to millions of people active in or supported by not-for-profits and civil society organisations across the EU. CSE was created by several civil society organisations as a follow-up to the European Year of Citizens and was established as an international not-for-profit under Belgian law in 2016. Since then, it has become the point of reference for EU institutions on transversal issues concerning civil dialogue and civic space.