Journal of Tourism and Services - Vysoká škola obchodní v Praze

protection activities [13]. Basic questions about economic methods are an
important aspect in informing society and involving the public in
acknowledging and evaluating economic activities.
Latvia is a member of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR); who is made up of
nine countries and a number of metropolitan areas. The region
encompasses three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Sweden,
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland, and North-West Russia, with St
Petersburg and Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland
and Lithuania (see fig.1). All countries except Russia are members of the
European Union. The paper examines only those BSR countries, which
are EU member states – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.
BSR is rich and diverse in ecosystems as well as in economic activities.
It inhabits around 100 million people and produces many services and
industrial and agricultural goods. However, consumption and production
patterns in the BSR have an increasing influence on global resources and
ecosystems. The Earth has entered a new epoch where humans constitute
the dominant driver of change to the Earth System and abrupt global
environmental change can no longer be excluded [26].
Current economic downturn in many Baltic Sea countries can be used
as a starting point for making considerable changes in these patterns,
paying more attention to the environmental constraints, economic
efficiencies, social wellbeing and green economics, include tourism
industry.
Green economy is a way to solve the development and environmental
impact dilemma. While changes in the functioning of an economic system
are very slow, self governments can promote green economy at local level
thereby contributing to overcoming the crisis the world is experiencing.
The aim of this paper is to introduce and analyse the current situation in
Latvia from the perspective of Green economy and to examine the viability
of the principles of Green economy and to identify cooperation between
scientific, non-governmental organisations, public and local communities,
ways of tackling problems concerned and to share best practices in Latvia.
The information for this paper was drawn from three sources: research
the author has carried out, project materials, normative acts and practical
experience.
2. Greening of Economy
Existence of human beings relies on the use of ecosystem services.
Correlation between humans, society and nature has caused many
problems which are especially topical nowadays [10]. Attitudes to nature
are completely revised [21]. Green economics means understanding that
the economy is dependent on the natural world and could not exist
without it. Green economics needs to consider interaction between
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