Greenpeace was founded in 1971 by a group of people who were opposed to the nuclear attempts made by USA in eastern Alaska. This small group of people started their struggle by putting out to sea from Canada. Afterwards, they started to spread abroad numbers of people and took actions against nuclear attempts of France, whale chasing of Japan and the Union of Soviet Republics and seal massacre of Norwegians. Greenpeace members never compensated from their ideals and fastened their studies, widened their area.
At this moment, the organization has 26 national and 3 regional departments; at the same time there are 2.5 million supporters from 158 countries who help the works of Greenpeace and make the actions possible.
Greenpeace testifies environmental crimes which grow living difficult in our planet with direct actions and put them on the agenda by the help of media.
Combat with environment needs patience and stability. Usually targets reach success in long maturities with the support of public opinion and it is not easy to realize them. Altough every action lean against long and dense studies, unsuspectingly there are people who see Greenpeace activists a group of adventurer. Where as the pacific actions made are only the ‘shop windows’ of giving evidence to a crime which is commited against environment, calling attention of public opinion against the ones who commit crimes, analysis made with patience, reports, media explanations and other studies.
Besides Greenpeace is one of the perfect environment organizations which can use its influence with lobby actions in international agreements, propose models and be accepted.
SOME OF THE WORLDWIDE SUCCESSES OF GREENPEACE
Some global targets which are realized with the active support of 2.5 million Greenpeace supporters from all around the world:
-Prohibition of the exploitation of natural sources of the Antartic which is sensitive in ecological respects.
-International decrease in the production of the materials which are thought to be harmful to the ozone layer.
-Prohibition of excretion of radioactive and toxicogenic materials to the seas.
-Prohibition of commerce of toxicogenic materials from the industrialized countries to the underdeveloped countries.
THE PHYSICAL SOURCES OF GREENPEACE
In order to continue its independence and persist the environmental problems freely, Greenpeace never accepts donations from any of the governments, companies, industries and political parties.
For 29 years, Greenpeace has signed many successful campaigns and behind these studies there are volunteers who work very hard and people who make donations as much as their power allows. If volunteers and these people had not took part near Greenpeace, most of the studies would not be completed and no success would be gained.
GREENPEACE: “ENERGY EMERGENCY ” IN TURKEY BEING EXPLOITED TO PUSH HAZARDOUS FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS
Istanbul, March 27, 2001 – “Greenpeace is strongly opposing the proliferation of highly polluting and expensive mobile and floating fuel- oil fired plants being promoted by Energy Minister, Ersumer, who is deliberately taking advantage of the chaos and corruption in the electricity sector (1). Turkey needs strong state policies based on effective targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy which must be backed by a credible implementation program,” said Melda Keskin, Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Mediterranean.
The plan to install a 130-Megawatt mobile fuel-oil fired plant to be operated by AKSA Energy at Finike (Antalya) was recently rejected by the local people and AKSA is now trying dump it in the world famous Gocek Bay on the Dalaman coast (Turkey’s southwest Aegean region). It is a province of unique natural beauty which attracts approximately 4-5 million tourists a year. The Mayor of Dalaman, Mr. Sevket Durmus, expressed shock when Greenpeace informed him of the problems related with this project and requested more information on clean alternatives.
A similar 95-Megawatt project was dropped last summer in San Francisco Bay in the face of strong opposition from the community and environmental justice groups, in spite of the ongoing electricity crisis in California. The utility (PG&E) was forced to announce that they withdrew the proposed floating plant project . California instead chose to build the largest wind farms in the world that would supply the state with clean, inexpensive power before the end of the year.
Greenpeace criticized the Turkish Energy Ministry and the utility, TEAS, for using a national “energy emergency” situation as an excuse to exempt these plants from environmental and public review in spite of the dangers of the dispersal of toxic and carcinogenic substances to the air, water and soil.
“The Turkish Ministry of Energy, unable to take the initiative to phase in a sane national energy policy, after pursuing a dangerous nuclear adventure for ten years, is now giving way to companies to operate mobile-floating plants with no emission controls or any Environmental Impact Assessment (2). These type of plants are being rejected worldwide and have been labelled as ‘colonial-type power plants’ since they have often been used in third world countries, exploiting the fact that authorities lack proper energy planning and environmental concerns or standards,” added Keskin.
Greenpeace said that these plants are causing outrage on the side of the local authorities and the public facing such proposals as a result of a justified concern over the associated health and environmental hazards. The plants run on imported, polluting fossil-fuels causing smog and respiratory problems. The floating plants pose significant risks of spills into the sea with particular potential harmful impacts on fisheries and spawning areas.
“Minister Ersumer has no acceptable defence for insisting on these polluting oil plants, profiting only companies such as AKSA Energy, and providing guaranteed prices for five years when oil prices are increasing constantly and Turkish currency is suffering a major hit. In the first eight months of last year, Turkey paid 2.5 billion U.S. dollars for oil imports because of our dependency on oil. Turkish energy officials continue to dig their head in the sand and refuse to exploit the country’s huge potential for producing energy from available renewable resources,” said Keskin.
Turkey has a gloomy history for running unplanned and illegal lignite- fired plants in the Mugla region, where Dalaman is also situated, causing irreversible environmental degradation and human health hazards. It started at Yatagan nineteen years ago and followed with the construction of the infamous Gokova power station in 1994 in the same region.
Greenpeace is demanding that the energy problems in Turkey be approached with responsible planning. Energy production targets must take into account Turkey’s renewable resources, such as the country’s potential for wind, solar, geothermal and biomass power, over climate- changing fossil fuels, for the sake of public well-being, the environment as well as the economy.
GREENPEACE PROTEST DEMANDS CLOSURE OF TURKISH CANCER- CAUSING FACTORY
Izmit, 25.01.2001 – New scientific evidence of elevated levels of heavy metals and chlorinated contaminants, such as cancer- causing dioxins, at the Izmit clinical and hazardous waste incinerator, provoked an action by Greenpeace today at the Izmit municipality, which owns Izaydas, the company operating the incinerator. The scientific results imply that Izaydas did not meet the conditions under which it was permitted to operate by the Ministry of Environment.
Three activists abseiled from the roof of the municipality and unfurled a banner reading “Ban the Burn”. Their protest sent a direct message to Sefa Sirmen, the Mayor of Izmit, that “Incineration Kills”. 15 other activists with skull masks on their faces, symbolising death caused by dioxins, were distributing leaflets and holding signs against incineration and a banner reading “No Toxics: in Production, in My Food and in My Baby”. All activists were taken under custody after some harsh treatment.
The President of the Kocaeli Environment Protection Association, Ms. Nuriye Kazaner also joined the Greenpeace activists. Izmit, 25.01.2001 – New scientific evidence of elevated levels of heavy metals and chlorinated contaminants, such as cancer- causing dioxins, at the Izmit clinical and hazardous waste incinerator, provoked an action by Greenpeace today at the Izmit municipality, which owns Izaydas, the company operating the incinerator. The scientific results imply that Izaydas did not meet the conditions under which it was permitted to operate by the Ministry of Environment.
Three activists abseiled from the roof of the municipality and unfurled a banner reading “Ban the Burn”. Their protest sent a direct message to Sefa Sirmen, the Mayor of Izmit, that “Incineration Kills”. 15 other activists with skull masks on their faces, symbolising death caused by dioxins, were distributing leaflets and holding signs against incineration and a banner reading “No Toxics: in Production, in My Food and in My Baby”. All activists were taken under custody after some harsh treatment.
The President of the Kocaeli Environment Protection Association, Ms. Nuriye Kazaner also joined the Greenpeace activists.
The Greenpeace released today including the scientific analysis of the samples collected from the ashes produced by the incinerator, revealed high levels of heavy metals and the presence of chlorinated contaminants, such as PCBs and dioxins (1).
Dr. David Santillo, Senior Scientist at the Greenpeace research laboratories in the UK said, “Dioxins, furans and PCBs are listed among the 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) prioritised to be eliminated at source under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2). Such hazardous chemicals present in the Izmit incinerator ash, as the scientific analyses reveal, clearly show that incineration is no solution.”
The Izaydas Clinical and Hazardous waste incinerator was granted a permit to operate by the Ministry of Environment, following the earthquake of August 1999, on condition that no chlorinated waste would be burned due to the consequent formation of carcinogenic dioxins and their potential dispersal into the environment. Greenpeace had opposed this decision on the grounds that cleaner alternatives, such as autoclaving, should have been used to dispose of the waste. The incinerator had already been shut down for operating illegally and Greenpeace had drawn caution to the fact that Izaydas would not conform to the imposed conditions.
In a letter to Greenpeace in March 2000, the Ministry of Environment admitted that almost 68 tonnes of clinical waste had been incinerated at Izaydas. Given that a substantial proportion of clinical waste is comprised of the chlorinated plastic PVC, this acceptance immediately contradicted the commitment made that no chlorinated materials would be incinerated. The latest analysis results of the ash samples also indicate that PCBs, or PCB- contaminated wastes, formed a significant part of the feedstock of the Izmit incinerator.
Present at the Izmit Municipality today, Tolga Temuge, toxics campaigner in Turkey for Greenpeace Mediterranean, spoke of the health and environmental hazards associated with incineration. ” Incineration is known to be a major source of carcinogenic dioxins. It is not a safe option for waste disposal. Mr. Sefa Sirmen must stop the push to operate this incinerator that will continue to be a health hazard. We are demanding that the Minister of Environment, Fevzi Aytekin, ban incineration in Turkey.”
WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICALS TO BE BANNED – PETKIM’S PVC PLANT AND IZAYDAS INCINERATOR MUST FACE THEIR END
Istanbul, 12th December 2000: Greenpeace welcomed the final draft of an historic global treaty to phase out some of the most dangerous chemicals on earth, agreed yesterday by world governments gathered in South Africa. (1) Greenpeace referred to the treaty as an important wake-up call for Turkey to stop importing hazardous technologies that developed countries are now dumping.
“This treaty proves what Greenpeace has been saying for many years on the health and environmental hazards posed by the use and generation of hazardous substances. This is a call for the phase out of dirty production processes, such as those at Petkim, hazardous products such as PVC and incinerators. Hazardous industries must now face the end of years of abuse and clean up their act,” said Tolga Temuge, Toxics campaigner for Greenpeace Mediterranean in Turkey.
These chemicals are some of the most dangerous on earth and are contaminating the environment and affecting human health worldwide. Crucially, the tap that pours new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into our environment will now be turned off. The treaty aims to put an end to the manufacture and use of new industrial POPs chemicals as well as eliminating existing POPs. The “Dirty Dozen” POPs targeted by the treaty (2) include POPs pesticides and PCBs, used as insulation in electrical transformers, as well as unwanted industrial by- products, such as dioxins that can cause cancers in humans.
Exposure to POPs has been linked to a wide range of effects on the health and development of both wildlife and humans including cancers, endometriosis, learning disorders and the disruption of the hormone system. Of particular concern are the toxic effects of persistent organic pollutants on young children and the developing foetus.
Dioxins and furans, two of the dirty dozen, are known as the most hazardous chemicals ever produced by man. The major sources of dioxins are known to be waste incinerators, such as the Izaydas incinerator in Izmit, and PVC production, such as that at Petkim’s Yarimca and Aliaga complexes. Incineration of chlorinated waste such as PVC, DDT, PCBs, that are listed in the 12 POPs to be banned, also generates huge amounts of dioxins.
“There are stockpiles of these types of waste all over Turkey and western incineration companies are trying to sell more incinerators to developing countries like Turkey claiming that the only way to treat this waste is to incinerate it. This treaty is a warning to the governments of the world to stop exporting and importing dirty technologies like incineration that creates more dioxins. It is now time to shift to clean technologies,” added Temuge.
The treaty will be based on a precautionary approach, which urges action to be taken to protect against potential harm to human health and the environment. It also recognises that lack of scientific certainty should not prevent action.
A global commitment was made to help developing countries fund the elimination of POPs, a prerequisite for many countries if the world’s POPs problem is to be solved.
“It is encouraging that these chemicals, which are wreaking havoc around the world are to go. This is a significant step towards a toxic free future. It backs the Greenpeace call for the end of toxic substances in our production, in our food and in our children,” concluded Temuge
GREENPEACE MOBILIZES POLLUTED COMMUNITIES TO CALL FOR A GLOBAL BAN ON WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
Aliaga/Bergama, Turkey, 4 October 2000 – The representatives of the Workers Union at the Petkim Petrochemical Company in Aliaga, together with Bergama villagers, joined the Greenpeace cyberaction that took place in both localities where messages were sent to over 100 governments as they arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the final negotiations on an international treaty to ban some of the world’s most toxic chemicals. They join people living in polluted communities around the world (1) whose messages are urging participating governments to agree on an effective treaty to protect their health and the health of future generations.
Turkey was not represented at these negotiations because government claimed that funds to attend the meeting were unavailable. Greenpeace criticised the lack of participation on the grounds that the authorities were not giving this historical opportunity its due importance.
“Most of these chemicals didn’t exist fifty years ago. Now they’re building up in the bodies of every living being on earth. They’re contaminating the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink,” said Greenpeace campaigner, Tolga Temuge. “This week, governments are deciding on the fundamental human rights of people to live in a world free of toxic chemical pollution. Governments have to break free from the grip of the chemical industry and prioritize the right of every individual to a safe environment,” he added.
Tolga Temuge was speaking at a press conference held with the participation of the head of the Petroleum Affairs Union Branch in Aliaga, Iskender Buyukcolak, and the spokesperson for the Bergama villagers Oktay Konyar.
Aliaga is one of Turkey’s most industrialized and therefore most polluted areas. Chlorine and PVC-producer Petkim, the secondary smelters, the shipbreaking yard and the Tupras
Refinery are the major sources of POPs in the area. Samples taken by Greenpeace from Petkim discharges revealed elevated levels of organochlorines, including dioxins and heavy metals. The Union of workers at the Petkim Aliaga complex has long supported the Greenpeace campaign for an end to the generation and disposal of hazardous substances and the shift to clean production processes.
If the negotiations succeed, the treaty will put an end to the production and use of persistent organic pollutants worldwide, starting with a list of twelve Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) identified by the United Nation’s Environment Programme (UNEP) as in need of urgent action (2). High on the agenda are dioxins, one of the most toxic chemicals known and can cause cancers in humans. Dioxins are released when waste is incinerated and by industries that use chlorine in their production processes, such as Petkim.
Exposure to POPs has been linked to a wide range of effects on the health and development in both wildlife and humans including cancers, endometriosis, learning disorders and the disruption of the hormone system. Of particular concern are the toxic effects of persistent organic pollutants on young children and the developing foetus.
Greenpeace said the treaty should be based on the precautionary approach and implemented through the substitution of materials and processes by clean alternatives.
Greenpeace is also demanding an Inventory of the chemicals used and hazardous waste generated in Turkey that should be available to the public. Greenpeace said that the Turkish government must the follow with an Act on Toxics Use Reduction and start the implementation of Clean Production
TURKEY’S ENERGY PLANS STILL FOCUSED ON DIRTY FOREIGN INVESTMENT
4 November 2000, Istanbul – As the Deputy Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, today lay the foundations of the new power plant to operate on imported coal in Soguzu – Adana, Greenpeace slammed Turkey’s inefficient energy administration for burdening the people with more polluting plants from Europe when these countries are seeking ways to decrease their use of fossil fuels.
Greenpeace referred to yet another tragedy at the illegal Yatagan power plant, blaming Turkish State Utility, TEAS, for poisoning the people and destroying the environment. Turkish authorities on Thursday ordered schools in the area to close for two days due to noxious fumes from the power plant. Doctors warned children, the elderly and those with respiratory diseases to stay at home. Similar conditions were present around the Yatagan plant for a third time within this year. (1)
“In ten days, world leaders will be taking decisions in The Hague, Holland (UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) – 6) on how to break away from their dependence on climate changing fossil-fuels and reduce their greenhouse gases to meet their Kyoto commitments. In the meantime, authorities are offering these countries the opportunity to dump their unwanted technologies onto Turkey,” said Melda Keskin, Energy campaigner for Greenpeace Mediterranean. “After years trying to push Turkish officials to sell dangerous nuclear plants to Turkey, Siemens is now playing another dirty game.”
Greenpeace questioned the reason why Minister of Energy, Cumher Ersumer, is slow to exploit the country’s wind potential and insists on pushing foreign dirty investment (2). In contrast, Siemen’s home country, Germany, adds thousands of Megawatts of wind capacity each year to its energy production.
A report on wind energy entitled ““North Sea Offshore Wind – A European Powerhouse”, commissioned by Greenpeace and prepared by the German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI) reveals that the technology and economics of wind power make it ready to tap the vast quantities of wind energy. According to Dr. Karl Mallon, Energy Analyst for Greenpeace, if just one per cent a year of the offshore wind potential of North Sea countries is unlocked, five power plants a year could be shut down, providing 6.5 million new homes with wind each year, employing 160,000 people and delivering on the agreed Kyoto targets for saving the climate.
“The Minister of Energy and TEAS cannot perpetually dismiss the benefits offered by renewable energy sources together with the implementation of energy efficiency technologies. It is unacceptable that the cost to be paid in terms of health hazards, environmental degradation and overall electricity shortage must be endured by the Turkish public whilst dirty foreign investors take home their profits and leave behind their hazardous waste,” concluded Keskin.
Greenpeace is demanding that Turkey sign the Climate Convention and reach its future energy production targets through the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
GREENPEACE CALLS FOR ITALIAN TOXIC WASTE RESIDING IN TURKEY TO RETURN TO SENDER
31 July 2000, Soguksu, Sinop – The most notorious waste trade case Turkey ever faced was today brought to the spotlight by Greenpeace activists calling for a solution to the Italian waste stored in a warehouse in Sogusku, near Sinop, since 1988, due to procrastination by the governments of both countries.
Greenpeace activists hung a banner on the warehouse in the colours of the Italian flag reading “PRODUCED IN ITALY, DUMPED IN TURKEY” in Italian and Turkish while others opened another banner at the entrance of the warehouse reading “Return the Italian waste” in English and Turkish.
Other activists demarcated the area surrounding the warehouse and the contaminated soil with yellow and red tape and placed danger signs on site. Samples were also taken from the subsoil and the spring water fifty meters away from the warehouse.
Yesterday in Soguksu, the Greenpeace team had a seminar on the issue. The presence of the head of Sinop security forces, the Commander of the Gendarme, together with about 60 soldiers and policemen could not be ignored.
The activists demanded that the Italian authorities commit to returning the waste back to its country of origin, Italy. The stand taken by both the Italian and Turkish authorities that no evidence exists to confirm the toxic waste to be Italian was dismissed by protesters.
“The Greenpeace team which went to the area in the early 90s reported that the barrels had bullet holes, done to enable the barrels to sink to the sea bed. Those barrels that failed to do so and were instead washed onto the shores of the Black Sea, carried documents inside indicating that the waste was of Italian origin,” said Tolga Temuge, Toxics Campaigner of the Greenpeace Mediterranean office. Greenpeace said this was confirmed by Italian state- owned television RAI UNO after a visit to the area as part of a detailed investigation on the case in 1988.
In spite of the evidence, Turkish authorities failed to send the toxic waste back to Italy. Instead, they stored the waste in several places in the Black Sea region. Some 127 barrels were also stored in the warehouse in question in the village of Soguksu. Since then, it has been reported that the toxic waste has been leaking from the barrels and, together with the rainwater seeping into the warehouse, it has created a toxic pool inside the building.
The toxic cocktail has been leaking into the soil for several years. A spring close to the warehouse provides drinking water to 14 villages in the area. The locals are pointing to the toxic waste as the cause of the serious health problems many have been suffering from. The only action taken by the Sinop authorities was to conduct some minor repairs to the roof and to paint the walls green for a fresh look.
The analysis carried out by the Turkish authorities on the samples taken from the barrels in 1988 indicated that the materials consist of a complex mixture of hazardous industrial waste. Some of the samples contained, among other persistent and toxic chemicals, substances closely related to the pesticide DDT. Both DDT and HCB are included on the list of 12 priority chemicals to be addressed by the developing UNEP global POPs Convention in recognition of the hazards they pose.
Dr. David Santillo, Principal Scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at Exeter University in the UK, said, “Many of these substances are highly flammable and volatile, presenting an explosion hazard and contaminating the air around the storage site. Together, these wastes represent a substantial threat to the surrounding environment and to the health of local residents.”
“Sending the Italian waste to the Izmit incinerator, as suggested by the Minister of Environment, will not only spread further new toxic chemicals generated during incineration but also encourage other toxic waste trade companies to see Turkey as a potential dumpsite,” concluded Temuge on behalf of Greenpeace.
Greenpeace said the only solution to the saga of the Italian toxic waste is to return it to its country of origin. The international environmental organisation added that the Italian government must also shoulder its responsibility and fund the clean up of the contaminated soil in the area.
GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS PROTEST SPANISH TOXIC WASTE CARGO IN TURKEY
7 June 2000, Iskenderun – Five Greenpeace activists today climbed onto two cranes next to the ship MV Ulla loaded with toxic waste cargo in Isdemir port in Iskenderun. The activists hung a huge banner to protest the toxic waste cargo sent to Turkey from Spain. The banner read “SPANISH TOXIC WASTE” and the organisation voiced their demand for the waste to be sent back to Spain, in line with Turkish legislation which bans the importation of toxic waste. Five activists were taken under custody.
Tolga Temuge, Toxics campaigner for the Greenpeace Mediterranean office in Turkey commented from Isdemir Port: “The shipment entering a Turkish Port carrying toxic waste cargo, with all documents pointing to Spain as the country of origin, needs to be seriously investigated by the Spanish authorities.”
The toxic fly ash on the cargo ship, MV ULLA, has been stored at Isdemir port for the past three months as requested by the Turkish authorities. The Turkish Ministry of Environment sent a letter to the Basel Secretariat and the Spanish authorities on May 17 informing them that the cargo is of Spanish origin and demanded that it be shipped back. The Ministry added that following the necessary analysis, the waste was classified as hazardous according to the relevant legislation (1).
The reply by the Spanish authorities on June 5 states that the information detailed on the copy of the cargo manifest sent by the Turkish authorities is inaccurate. The Spanish documents instead point to 3,488 tonnes of fly ash loaded onto the MV ULLA on December 9 of last year destined for Algeria.
The Greenpeace office in Spain revealed that according to the Spanish Environment Ministry, the waste exported was fly ash from coal burning in three power plants from the North of Spain. The company receiving this cargo is listed as the Spanish company Dragados in Algeria. Dragados intended to use the waste to build a dam in this country. The cement company Asland Cataluña y del Mediterráneo acted as intermediary, buying the ashes to sell to Dragados.
The bank responsible for the transaction is the Turk dis Ticaret bank which so far denies any transaction being made.
The owner of the ship “MV Ulla” is known to be the shipping agent Mavi Deniz.
“The fact that the Spanish documents reveal different details simply adds to the facts classifying this as a typical toxic waste trade case. Dragados must be investigated as a possible player in the toxic waste trade arena,” said Temuge. “The local authorities must also question the involvement of the shipping agent, Mavi Deniz, as one of the key players in this scenario.”
Turkey, as many other developing countries, has suffered the abuse of toxic waste dumping and toxic waste trade in the past. More than 450 toxic waste barrels containing Italian waste were washed onto the shores of Black Sea coast in 1988 and the only solution that has been suggested after twelve years is to burn it in the Izmit incinerator.Greenpeace called for the Italian waste to be sent back to sender.
The international environmental organisation is demanding serious controls by authorities on waste trade cases.
GREENPEACE ACTION DEMANDS IZMIT INCINERATOR SHUT DOWN
Ankara, 11 February 2000 – Greenpeace activists calling for the abolishment of incineration in Turkey with an action in front of the Ministry of Emnvironment in Ankara, were today forcefully taken under custody by the police. After the Undersecretary accepted their demand to talk to the Minister of Environment, Fevzi Aytekin, in the presence of the media, the Minister himself never made an appearance and the activists were instead surrounded by police. Greenpeace criticised the attack on the peaceful protestors and the hypocrisy of the Minister. Activists are demanding that the temporary permit given to IZAYDAS to operate the Izmit Clinical and Hazardous Waste Incinerator must be revoked. Greenpeace activists in Ankara displayed barrels before the entrance to the Ministry of Environment accompanied by the Angel of Death, personifying the destructive impact combustion technologies have on public health and the environment. A number of Greenpeace activists also lay on the ground as a symbol of death. “DON’T PLAY WITH FIRE” was the message spelt out on a 13 square meter banner including a photo of the Izmit incinerator smokestack surrounded by flames.
The activists are demanding the immediate shut down of the incinerator demanding that the Minister of Environment undertakes the responsibility of terminating the plant’s operations by revoking the temporary permit issued to IZAYDAS last August. “The Minister is aware of the hazards posed by waste combustion and is taking no action to undertake the responsibility of safeguarding the health of the public and the environment. The Minister has allowed the waste oil from the Volganeft accident in Istanbul to be sent to IZAYDAS, enforcing the Turkish public to suffer the consequences of the oil industry’s recklessness. When allowing this plant to operate the Minister will be allowing the potential incineration of the Italian toxic waste dumped into the Black Sea and washed onto Turkish shores twelve years ago. The Minister must stop protecting the industry’s interests vested in polluting technologies and the first step is closing this incinerator down,” said Tolga Temuge, Toxics Campaigner for Greenpeace Mediterranean.
“We are opposing the Minister of Environment’s position and demanding that he carries the responsibility to protect public health. Alternatives that are safe and economically viable are available but Aytekin continues to ignore the facts that he had previously openly endorsed.” Greenpeace today showed its determination to see the Minister of Environment match his words with action and substitute incineration with alternative technologies for waste disposal. Following a strong Greenpeace campaign, the Ministry of Environment had shut down the Izmit Incinerator declaring it a potential hazard to human health and the environment in 1998. The Minister also issued a declaration to all governors in Turkey stating that incineration is an uneconomic, polluting technology.
The Ministry then provided a temporary permit to IZAYDAS to operate the plant again last August, in an attempt to deal with the resulting waste following the devastating earthquake that hit the Marmara region. To date, the Municipality of Izmit, which runs the plant’s operations, continues to capitalise on the disaster. The Izmit incinerator was constructed by a German company, Lurgi, and designed according to 1985 smokestack gas emissions in Germany. Today, this kind of incinerator would never be allowed to operate in its country of origin because it would fail to meet tighter standards imposed by the European Union (EU) since. Yet, Turkey is tolerating this abuse to human health with the approval of the Ministry of Environment. Greenpeace efforts to sample the incinerator ash to reveal the contaminants being generated were rejected. Greenpeace had sent a letter to IZAYDAS requesting permission to take the required samples and the company delegated any responsibility to the Minister of Environment as the only authority to take samples. The Minister of Environment’s answer to the Greenpeace letter later was a flat refusal. Greenpeace opposes all incineration technology, including those satisfying current EU legislation, due to the widespread impacts upon human and environmental health that have increasingly come to light over the past decade. Even the most modern incinerators emit dioxin together with other hazardous substances and anything contained in the filters remains as hazardous waste that still needs to be disposed of in a landfill risking its leaching into the surrounding environment. In addition, incineration creates a demand for a constant supply of waste, undermining all efforts to achieve waste prevention, the priority of any waste policy is demanding the abolishment of incineration and its substitution with environmentally friendly waste disposal technologies. In its fight for a safe environment, Greenpeace is not opposing one mayor or minister but the unjust decisions taken by irresponsible politicians that allow western companies to turn Turkey into a dumping ground for their toxic waste and obsolete technologies.
Works Cited
Hunt, Mary. Greenpeace Diary. 2nd ed. New York: Workman Publishing, 1997.
Leggett, Jeremy K. Global Warming. 1st ed. Oxford UP. ,1990.
Bohlen, Jim. Making Waves. 3rd ed. Black Rose Books, 2000.
Morpugo, Michael. Beyond the Rainbow Warrior. Pavilion Books, 1998.
May, John. The Greenpeace Story. 1st ed. DK Publishing, 1998.
Brown, Paul. Greenpeace. New York: Silver Burdett Press. ,1995.
www.greenpeacemed.org.mt/main.html
INDEX
1. Introduction
The Working Conditions of Greenpeace
Some of the Worldwide Successes of Greenpeace
The Physical Sources of Greenpeace
2. Some Examples to the Works of Greenpeace in Turkey
Greenpeace: “Energy Emergency ” in Turkey being exploited to push hazardous fossil fuel plants
Greenpeace protest demands closure of Turkish cancer-causing factory
World’s most dangerous chemicals to be banned – Petkim’s PVC plant and Izaydas Incinerator must face their end
Greenpeace mobilizes polluted communities to call for a global ban on world’s most dangerous chemicals
Turkey’s energy plans still focused on dirty foreign investment
Greenpeace calls for Italian toxic waste residing in Turkey to return to sender
Greenpeace activists protest Spanish toxic waste cargo in Turkey
Greenpeace action demands Izmit Incinerator shut down
