Greenpeace ship sails through Istanbul Strait calling for Turkey to exit coal
A Greenpeace ship sailed through the Bosphorus calling for Turkey to phase out coal ahead of its COP31 presidency this November.
Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise vessel passed through the Istanbul Strait displaying a banner reading "Exit Coal, Now!" as it wrapped up a Black Sea tour organized by the group's Central and Eastern Europe office to highlight the impact of fossil fuels and promote renewable energy.
Emel Türker Alpay, who leads Greenpeace Turkey's climate and energy campaign, said Turkey's presidency of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya this November is an opportunity to push a just transition away from coal. She noted that coal supplied just over 20% of Turkey's electricity generation as of September 9, and accounts for more than 30% of the country's total energy needs — two-thirds of it imported.
Alpay argued that Turkey's existing coal plants are old and inefficient and don't provide the reliable baseload power their operators claim, and said renewable energy can fill that role more securely. She called on the government to cancel planned new coal plants and set a fair timeline for transitioning coal-sector workers, positioning Turkey to lead on fossil fuel phase-out during its COP31 presidency.
Based on reporting by Haber Merkezi for İklimhaber. Read the original (Turkish): https://www.iklimhaber.org/aktivistler-bogazdan-seslendi-komurden-cikis-simdi/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
