The BSSSC (Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation) conference takes place once a year – a forum for ideas and developments for the Baltic Sea region. The main topics of this year’s 26th edition were solidarity, participation and the intelligent shaping of the future in the Baltic Sea region. Employees of aconium GmbH organized and moderated the conference section “Projects predict future: Our region in 20 years” for the congress in Gdansk. A total of six projects from the Interreg Baltic Sea Region program, which deal with long-term developments for the region, presented their forecasts to the local political players. The project managers from LowTEMP, RDI2CluB, BalticRIM, MAMBA, Smart-up BSR and Smart Blue Regions presented the following picture for the Baltic Sea region in 2038:
- District heating will be used in more than half of all buildings in cities. Waste heat from industrial production will increasingly be used for heating and the energy loss from district heating networks will be significantly lower than at present.
- National programs will promote transnational projects and so-called Blue Value Chains (value chains based on the sustainable use of maritime technologies).
- Technological progress and limited resources will lead to an imbalance between different rural regions: some will be strengthened, others will be weakened.
- New technologies and automation will play a leading role in the development of agriculture (bioeconomy). Meat consumption will be lower than it is today.
- In the future, more guidelines and decisions will be made on the basis of more precise information and evidence.
- Coastal and marine tourism – on land and underwater – will play a greater role in tourism offerings.
Conclusion: In 20 years’ time, life in the Baltic Sea region will feel different than it does today. In particular, it will be characterized by adaptation to new technologies and resource scarcity.
Photo: Participants of the BSSSC Annual Conference 2018. Representatives of the projects RIDI2CluB, BalticRIM, MAMBA, Smart-up BSR, Smart Blue Regions, Britta Schmigotzki (LowTEMP/aconium, 4th from right) and Darijus Valiucko (moderator/aconium, l.). Gdansk, 12.09.2018.
Photo credit: Jan Schmidt, Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein/Interreg Baltic Sea Region Program.