Al Gore In Istanbul For Climate Conference

RestoreGore

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Tue Jun-12-07 11:53 AM
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Al Gore In Istanbul For Climate Conference

Edited on Tue Jun-12-07 12:07 PM by RestoreGore

Al Gore in Istanbul for climate conference

Al Gore in Istanbul for climate conference
Tuesday, June 12, 2007

ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

Istanbul hosts a high-profile environmental figure today, as Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States, will be in the city to present a conference on global climate change and its impact.

As the guest of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Turkey and Garanti Bank, Gore is expected to share his 30 years of experience in the field, taking his now-famous conferences to Turkey. The “Gore conferences” on climate change have enjoyed international attention, especially after the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

The conference will be held at the Çýraðan Palace.

Greenpeace supports the work of Gore on climate change, said Hilal Atýcý, the Mediterranean Energy Campaign representative of the group. Speaking to the Turkish Daily News, Atýcý reminded that Gore has been working on the issue for decades. “There is not a huge difference of approaches between Al Gore's work and Greenpeace,” she said. “Still, we disagree with his assertion that storing carbon is a solution.”

The invitation to the former vice president was made with the aim of “creating awareness on climate change in Turkey” and “accelerating the public movement on the issue,” said WWF Turkey's Chairman Akýn Öngör, on the organization's Web site. Global climate change is “the biggest environmental problem that the world faces,” he said, noting floods, frequent forest fires, rapidly spreading diseases and water crises.

“Through his presentation, we wish to create change and bring the issue of global climate change to the agenda of the business world, media and influential people,” said Filiz Demirayak, the Director General of WWF-Turkey. “Al Gore, while scientifically explaining how humanity cannot disregard global warming, also informs us on how we can contribute to a solution.”

end of excerpt.

Report says Turkey is a water poor country

It is very good that Mr. Gore is bringing this to Turkey. It is a very water poor country needing knowledge not only regarding the affects of the climate crisis, but also information regarding better management of water resources and the political and environmental implications of their actions.

'We Will Lose A Real Treasure'

TURKEY'S DAM CONTROVERSY
"We Will Lose a Real Treasure"

Designs for Turkey's Ilisu dam were finalized in 1982, but social, historical and environmental concerns have stalled development for decades. But this weekend saw the country's prime minister attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the dam, which is considered one of the world's most-controversial public works projects.

The ancient Turkish city of Hasankeyf is no stranger to conquest by distant powers. Nestled on the banks of the Tigris River, it still bears the mark of its successive rulers -- among them, Romans, Arabs, Mongols and Ottomans.

But now it's those reminders of a settlement that was established several thousand years before Christ's birth that Hasankeyf's 3,800 citizens fear will be lost. The ancient city lies at the heart of plans for a massive dam project that will provide water supplies and electricity to Turkey's southeast.

"We will lose a real treasure," said Ercan Ayboga of the Initiative to Save Hasankeyf. Zeynep Ahunbay, a prominent activist for the preservation of historical sites in Turkey went even further, saying the ruins should be given UNESCO'S "world cultural heritage" designation.

Turkey says the €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) Ilisu dam, one of 21 outlined under the broader $32 billion Greater Anatolia Project (GAP), will improve agricultural and social conditions by controlling flooding and improving irrigation.

Much more at the link.
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And this is where Syria and Iraq come into the picture, as well as speculation regarding why this dam that will indeed do environmental damage and submerge a sacred city needs to be built. Especially when it will drive Kurds off their lands. Is this necessary, or simply political retribution?

The Middle East is already a water scarce region. Building billion dollar projects that seek to divert water from the Tigris River that Iraq and Syria also depend on can only cause friction down the line. And should the U.S. actually provide funds for this project that will divert water from Iraq, that would most certainly solidify the reason for being there... and it isn't to be benefactors to the Iraqi or Kurdish people.

The Ilisu Dam-Environmental Impacts

Statement Of Hasankeyf Platform

Ilisu Dam: A Human Rights Disaster In The Making

To me, disrespecting something others revere as sacred is abominable. What we are doing to our world in the name of "progress" is killing her. For once you exploit her soul there is nothing left. These government tactics to simply take over sources of water to then control their flow for profit without balance is a human rights abuse that will lead to widescale war in the future if we do not stand up against those who are aligned with it to exploit the poor at the profit of the rich.

I do not know if this will even be discussed during his visit. However, it certainly is in direct corrolation to the water crisis Turkey faces now and its collision with tradition that does not have to happen if proper measures are undertaken to conserve what little water this region has that is now being affected by climate change.