A conversation with Doctor of Geography Agrita Briede

On the global stage, Latvia is truly a green and clean country. Over the last hundred years, our forest area has increased significantly. In 1923, only 23% of Latvia's territory was covered by forest. Today, that figure is around 53%. Our beaches are clean and are not littered with rubbish.

Latvia produces a large proportion of its electricity using renewable resources. Unfortunately, the cascade of Daugava power plants has altered the river. In order to produce clean electricity, something had to be sacrificed. Rivers on which small hydroelectric power plants have been built have also, in places, turned into flooded ponds. Biodiversity is declining and fish migration routes are being disrupted. Looking at the balance sheet of gains and losses from small power plants, we can see that, overall, it is highly questionable. The future is therefore more likely to belong to large wind farms. However, we must ensure that these do not inconvenience local residents.