The main pollution issues in Estonia

Water Pollution

Nutriens and other pollutants enter water bodies which in turn reach many inland waters and eventually the Baltic Sea.

Nutriens cause excessive plant growth. In the dark, plants do not produce oxygen but use it themselves. Lack of oxygen in lakes causes fish to die in lakes on quiet summer nights or under winter ice. For that reason there are also inanimate areas in deeper parts of the Baltic Sea.

Groundwater is polluted by agriculture and oil shale mining. There are unprotected groundwater areas where nitrogen fertilizers are used in the fields and pesticides easily reach groundwater.

Air pollusion

Transport still uses a lot of fossil fuels, which releases more carbon dioxide than nature can bind.

Half of Estonia's electricity consumption is produced by burning oil shale. Oil shale combustion generates a lot of carbon dioxide, adding to its contribution to global warming. Oil shale combustion must be further reduced and replaced with wind and solar energy.

Garbage

Estonia is a consumer society - there are many different kinds of packaging, not all of which are recycled but dumped in landfills.