Caring for the Environment: A rich man's cause?

It looks as though close neighbours Turkey and Greece share a lot more in common than great beaches, zither music and late nights. It appears that they are both placing care for the environment in the back seat of priorities. A recent study regarding forests in both Greece and Turkey shows that:
"As in all Mediterranean coastal areas dense human population, extensive settlements, and agricultural activities have largely destroyed the natural habitat. Urbanization, conversion to agriculture, overgrazing and illegal logging are the principal causes of destruction."
(Read article here)
It's no secret that the economies of both countries are hugely dependent on the Tourism industry. I would unscientifically deduce that therefore there is also a correlation between the destruction of one for the perceived benefit of the other.

In speaking to locals here in Greece, there is an attitude that it's OK for me to say things like 'respect the environment' because I was raised in Australia, a wealthy country that could afford to look after the environment. But Greece is too poor to afford to look after the environment and that people's needs, creating employment and money must take precedence over trees etc.

Sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Advocates a middle road for development where the environment is not sacrificed on the altar of economic growth. That growth can occur that respects both people and the environment. This has been around for a long time and received prominence in the 1980s. Most EU countries now have a Sustainable development policy and is seriously discussed at the community level.

Croatia is on the receiving end of a boom in environmental tourism. Tourists are paying big bucks to flock to see untouched beaches and forests surrounded by traditional buildings. Greece is suffering the effects of cheap drunken package tours who behave worse that soccer hooligans and leave little money in the local economy.

Both Greece and Turkey however, lag far behind their neighbours in this respect.
Why is this so?
Don't either countries respect their environment? I don't think so. I believe it's more a matter about leadership, which has obviously been missing. It takes leadership to look at the big picture, to sacrifice the easy short term gains in exchange for greater benefits for all in the future. There are also the power structures in place now that benefit from the current situation. They play a big role in the political process. It's no surprise that where democracy is stronger and corruption weakest, the environment takes a more prominent role in the people's minds and in the political process.
Perhaps the best thing the average consumer can do is to choose to holiday at some of the few destination spots that show consideration for the environment. They exist in both Greece and Turkey. This way we reward good behaviour and punish those who destroy every one's inheritance, the environment.

I had a good laugh

The just newly appointed minister of environment and forestry, Veysel Eroğlu, says that Turkey has the resources to withstand the effects of climate change. In fact he said directly that, and I quote him here: “In my opinion, global warming does not threaten Turkey. There is a solution for everything as long as one takes the necessary measures”. So, according to this genius, Global Warming stops at the borders of Turkey, and all other countries which don't take 'the necessary measures', are responsible for the effects of Global Warming. Maybe this minister must make a trip to the Aral sea and see with his own eyes what Global Warming means: lack of understanding by mankind what their actions in the past and today did to the environment. And it looks like Mr. Eroğlu thinks that solving water shortages are the only problems to be solved as a result of Global Warming. Ever heard about the word pollution Mr. Eroğlu? There is more at stake than water. Fire the guy before it's too late - in my humble opinion...

Fire Fighting in Bodrum, Turkey

In Greece almost 300.000 hectares are destroyed by (wild) fires. Turkey is battling as well, although not on that large scale as in Greece.
Here a fireman in action near Bodrum: one hotel and two hectares were burnt down.

Australia lends a hand to Greece

The fires in Greece have made a huge impact across the world. On Monday the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard announced that the Government of Australia will offer $3 million in assistance. Governments are also responding at a state level with the government South Australia sending money and perhaps more importantly sending bushfire experts to help fight the fire.

As was highlighted by Panagiotis, many Greeks are turning their attentions to solutions and what to do now. In this spirit, now is the time for the Greek administration to accept help and not try to reinvent the wheel. Best practice in fire fighting techniques from Australia, the US, well wherever it exists should be adopted. The knowledge is out there, now is not the time for ego to get in the way.

A question from Greece

Panagiotis VASSILIADIS - pv.linkedin@gmail.com
wrote:

Fires in Greece! -

What can be done to prevent this in the future with modern technology?
Dear all, I am a Greek national and deeply hurt from the actual situation of my home country. I am fed up just complaining about the situation and do nothing about it. This is why me and some other friends are forming a group of people who is interested in working as a consulting body to our public administration and influence the development of our country’s infrastructure in this domain.
Therefore, I would like to ask your opinion in terms of technological solutions for monitoring and preventing forest fires (from cameras, to water bombing etc...) Any expert in the topic who is willing to help on this is welcome to contact me. Thanks all for your help and I hope no other country suffers the same distraction that Greece is actually going through.

Regards,

Panos Vassiliadis

A deafening Turkish silence as Greece burns

Looks like Turkish pride is again a big obstacle....

For a good update visit Vassilio's blog.

A deafening Turkish silence as Greece burns
Monday, August 27, 2007


DUYGU GÜVENÇ
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

As nearby Greece continued yesterday to face walls of flame killing scores in the country's worst series of forest fires in history, aid from across the Aegean was largely symbolic despite a legacy of mutual assistance borne of the 1999 Turkish earthquake to which Athens was the first responder.
“Turkey is missing the chance of solidarity with Greece due to internal politics. They are all busy with the presidential elections,” said yesterday retired ambassador, Özdem Sanberk to the Turkish Daily News.

The only direct assistance and help was offered by Turkish Red Crescent to the Hellenic Red Cross, through a phone call late Saturday. Tekin Küçükali, president of the Turkish Red Crescent called his counterpart and said they were ready to extend any means of help.
Küçükali, in an interview with the TDN yesterday, said they have already sent two trucks full of tents, blankets, food and medical supplies to İpsala border gate adding “But we need a permission to enter Greece. The Hellenic Red Cross should make a call to Geneva where the international Red Crescent and Red Cross organizations headquarters is, to declare the need of international help. When this call is made our trucks will enter Greece”.
Asked why Greek institutions seem not very much willing to get help from its neighbor Küçükali replied that two countries shared even bread during World War II. After World II, the then-governor of Istanbul, Lütfi Kırdar, organized a campaign of assistance of food and other aid to help Greece during widespread famine. “I would condemn them if they are suspicious of our help” said Küçükali.

Scene was different in 1999

But the case in 1999 was far from this. After the deadly earthquakes in both countries, not only the governments but the nongovernmental organizations of the two countries moved to help before any officials appeals were even made. This solidarity resulted in a rapprochement between two countries and introduced a new term to the lexicon of international relations: “seismic diplomacy”.

Things are different now today: What Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and probable-president-to-be Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül have done so far has been limited to written messages of sorrow and condolences to their counterparts, Kostas Karamanlis and Dora Bakoyannis. But their messages were lack any offers of help.

Greece should demand help
The Foreign Ministry officials who were trying to explain this unmoving stance of the government to the TDN yesterday said that the Greek government did only ask the European Union countries help. “We cannot offer any help since there is not any call from Athens for an international help, they have to make a call,” said foreign ministry officials.
But Israel, which is not a member of 27-member union, did not neglect Greece and has dispatched three helicopters to fight with fires.

Some explained the lack of robust action with the fact that Turkey has its hands full on many fronts of its own. “We are dealing with the disastrous flood in Samsun, the earthquake in Bingöl and the four forest fires in Turkey now. We don't have enough equipment to send Greece,” argued a source in the Prime Ministry Crisis Management Center sources contacted yesterday by the TDN.

“The priority should of course be internal fires and flood but Turkey cannot stand still in the face of the fires in its neighbor” said Sanberk, whose last diplomatic post was as Turkey's ambassador the United Kingdom..

Where are the NGO's?

Not only the government and official institutions but the nongovernmental organizations also performed badly in helping to Turkey's neighbor in its fight against the fires. Even the well-respected Turkish search and rescue team (AKUT) didn't make any preparations, said the General Secretary Saydun Gökşin to the TDN.
Gökşin told that they talked to the Greece Special Forces and Hellenic Red Cross but they did not ask for a rescue team.
“Greece only requests aircrafts and helicopters and we can only go there if there is a request. And furthermore we need to go there by a military plane just like in the 1999 earthquake” noted Gökşin. He added, however, that AKUT has rescue teams at the ready in Bursa and Marmaris experienced in fighting forest fires and that Turkey has nearly 50 firefighting aircrafts and helicopters.
"We have teams," Gökşin said."And we can mobilize them."

Ancient Olympia in Flames - Update

As fires threaten the ancient site of the ancient olympic stadium and its museums the government is casting aspersions that the fires were the result of 'political extremists'. Without specifying WHAT he means by this theories regarding the 'culprits' of the fires are spreading like the fires themselves. The latest is that a new American Laser is causing these fires.
Thank God for America, if it wasn't for them, we might have to look for the real culprits.