Latvia
Topic One: Biological Diversity and Sustainable DevelopmentThe depletion of biological diversity is an increasing area of concern. While the country's wildlife is among the richest and most diverse in Europe, changes in farming practices, trans-boundary pollution and urbanization are threatening natural habitats.Urbanization throughout Latvia has created poor conditions in large cities. Industrial towns produce large amounts of air pollution, wastewater and solid waste. As a result, there are deteriorating health and environmental conditions. The average life expectancy in Latvia is the lowest in Europe for men and one of the lowest for women, and it is continuously decreasing. Cardiovascular diseases increased as a cause of adult death. During the last 10 years, also the incidence of lung cancer increased by 30%. These conditions are significantly damaging the population's attitudes and outlooks, creating additional social and environmental problems.Latvia would like to create an efficient environmental management system in conjunction with boarding countries to develop an integrated monitoring system for pollution. Only 3% of the total air pollution is caused by stationary sources in Latvia. It is proven that Germany
It also demonstrates Latvia's commitment to formulating serious environmental policy and proves that the nation respects its obligations under the environmental treaties its government has signed. Unsurprisingly, the main sources of nutrients are untreated municipal sewage and drainage from agricultural lands. It is estimated that it would require at least five times more money than presently available to stabilize the environmental situation. Success in further development of the national economy of Latvia lies in a scientific approach to production processes, revitalization of the production and high-technology output by all industries and enterprises in the years ahead. The technological base of the national industry requires immediate modernization before any improvements can be made. The global community has recognized Latvia as a country in transition from a planned socialist economy to a West-oriented market economy. Presently, the amount of wastewater and agricultural leakage has decreased significantly, leading to a subsequent reduction in the total amount of pollution discharged into watercourses. Current findings from biological studies do not indicate any increase in eutrophication in the Latvian zone of the central Baltic Sea. Latvia is pursuing foreign trade policies consistent with market reforms and is diversifying its trade partners beyond the former Soviet Union. This improvement can be linked to the wastewater treatment facilities and the country's overall decrease in production. Over half of the total water drainage comes from neighboring countries. According to the official statistics, less than two percent of Latvia's gross national product went to environmental protection. It has imposed taxes of environment pollution and harvesting to users in Latvia, and drafted several legislation standards that cover such environmental issues as hazardous and chemical substances, use of water and underground resources, and the protection of soil, air and natural objects. And as such, they have been given high priority. According to available hydrobiological and hydrochemical data, 85% of all surface water is either slightly polluted or polluted.
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