Funded Projects 2014-2020
Project POPCORN
| Project Acronym | POPCORN |
|---|---|
| Project Title | Preventing Oil and Plastics Contamination of Ocean Regions of the North |
| Project subsite |
Summary
The ocean regions of the North face various environmental hazards in the 21st century. Since pollution does not recognise state borders, international cooperation is needed to tackle these threats for the marine environment. POPCORN project brings together three NPA projects from current programme period - APP4SEA, Circular Ocean and Blue Circular Economy - and a Baltic Sea Region project called OIL SPILL, which have focused on how to cope either with oil or plastic contamination of the seas.
APP4SEA and OILSPILL focused on oil spills and Circular Ocean and Blue Circular Economy on plastics, but each one has approached the problem from their own angle and has had an unique take on it. The aim has been to improve the capacity of the local communities to prevent this kind of pollution from happening and to be better prepared to act if it does.
The aim of POPCORN is to take the measures, best practices and tools that have been developed in individual projects, to new regions, to new stakeholders, who are not aware of these yet. The project will develop a tool kit based on the outputs of the previous projects, which will be introduced to the organisations and experts working with these issues in a series of workshops.
The experts will update their know-how and will be better equipped to master these challenges. This includes
organisational cooperation methods and practices, but also concrete tools such as the APP4SEA Smart Map. The map will be updated to contain plastic pollution contents and will be expanded to cover the Baltic Sea region.
Also, the general public plays a role in keeping northern sea regions pollution free. Various dissemination tools - including podcasts and other educational material - will be used to increase knowledge about these issues. Taking measures on the grass root level will contribute to the solution of this problem, and POPCORN will provide guidance for the communities on how to achieve this.
Objectives
Increase capacity of environmental experts to address oil spills and plastic pollution in seas
The aim is to provide tools, methods and best practices for experts, who are dealing with oil spills and plastic pollution in seas. As a result of this the regions should be better prepared to address these environmental problems.
Increase general knowledge and awareness about oil spills and plastic pollution in seas
The aim is to raise awareness among the general population about these environmental problems and also empower them
how people can do their part to keep the seas clean of this kind of pollution.
Lead Partner
- University of Oulu
Finland
Niko Hänninen
phone +358407045512
e-mail: niko.hanninen@oulu.fi
Partners
- North Highland College UHI
Scotland - Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Norway - University of Turku
Finland
Project Info
| Theme Environmental protection, climate change, pollution (soil, water, air), waste management |
| Priority 4 Natural and Cultural Heritage |
| Objective 4 Increased capacity for sustainable environmental management |
| Project duration 01-07-21 to 30-06-22 |
| Total budget 203 846 EUR |
| NPA co-financing 125 000 EUR |
| Target groups regional public authority sectoral agency infrastructure and (public) service provider higher education and research General public interest groups including NGOs national public authority |
| Joint Secretariat Desk Officer Christopher Parker |