Securing the Baltic Seas: Built Seascapes

This research article examines the transformation of the Baltic Sea into a 'built seascape' characterized by an increase in human infrastructure, including offshore wind farms and subsea cables, and discusses the resulting tensions between innovation, security, and environmental protection.

• The Baltic Sea is transitioning from an area defined by natural ecosystems and traditional maritime activities into a 'built seascape,' where the environment is increasingly shaped by human-made infrastructure such as digital monitoring systems, subsea cables, and offshore wind farms to support security, digital connectivity, and renewable energy.
• The expansion of offshore infrastructure creates a paradox where systems essential for sustainability and economic growth are simultaneously highly vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, cyberattacks, and sabotage.
• The technologies used to build these seascapes often have dual-use applications for both defense and civilian actors, necessitating new governance, security strategies, and cooperation to balance environmental protection with innovation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2025). Securing the Baltic Seas: Built Seascapes. https://www.sei.org/publications/securing-the-baltic-seas-built-seascapes/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Securing the Baltic Seas: Built Seascapes. 2025. https://www.sei.org/publications/securing-the-baltic-seas-built-seascapes/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Securing the Baltic Seas: Built Seascapes |date=7 April 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/securing-the-baltic-seas-built-seascapes/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2025securing, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Securing the Baltic Seas: Built Seascapes}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/securing-the-baltic-seas-built-seascapes/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }