Primitive Sinop

From GREENPEACE

July 4, 2006

Mothers fight against first Turkish nuclear power plant

Posted by Lisa at 2:43 PM

It's great to see that plans for Turkey's first nuclear power plant are facing opposition thanks to a bunch of middle aged women. Having suffered the effects of Chernobyl in this Black Sea region many people are against nuclear power while the Government is pushing plans for three nuclear power stations to come online by 2012. Many local fisherman in the northern city of Sinop where the plant is planned to be built, are now carrying anti-nuclear stickers and flags on their boats. They want to protect the nearby harbour, which is one of the richest fishing areas around. They are concerned that the cooling station will raise the temperature of the sea and have detrimental impacts on the fish. Outstandingly the "Mothers against Nuclear Power" have already got 25,000 signatures on their petition and even Sinop's Mayor is supporting them. Interestingly there is no mention of this opposition in the Turkish press!

This is the first place where I spent hours in the water, snorkeling and observing sea critters. The water there was clear to about sixty feet and the the junk of ages covered the bottom. The fish were there in schooled masses as I had never seen - growing up in Kentucky. Nearby Sinop, to the West there is the only fjord that exists outside of Scandinavian Europe. The whole north coast of Turkey is a place of great primitive beauty. If development could be achieved with great thought to the historicity of the place and the delicacy of the dry rolling countryside, it would be a benchmark for the rest of the developing world.
Lantern Bearer