Opinion by HEAL Poland Director Weronika Michalak: as the urgency to act on the triple crisis - climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss - becomes increasingly clear, I hope that the Polish Presidency of the European Union, which began on 1st January this year, will set the course for decisive EU climate and environmental policies aimed at protecting people's health across Europe.
Health groups are concerned about the acceleration of permissions for new coal power plants fuelled with lignite and importated coal, with the approval of two impact assessment (EIA) reports and the launch of others in the past weeks. The health of millions of people living in the cities of Canakkale, Adana and Eskisehir is at risk through new plants set to be built in the vicinity.
At a meeting with local authorities in Eskisehir city, HEAL, the Turkish Association of Public Health Specialists (HASUDER), TEMA Foudation, the Turkish Right to Clean Air Platform, and the Eskisehir Chamber of Medicines called for an investigation into the health impacts.
The planned Alpu coal power plant in Eskisehir threatens public health and at least 1 million people are expected to be affected. This was the main message HEAL – together with the Turkish Association of Public Health Specialists, HASUDER – brought to a meeting with the Eskisehir Directorate of Public Health. Further elaborating on the major public health threats air pollution from coal power plants poses, HEAL’s representative on energy and health in Turkey, Funda Gacal said:
“Air pollution affects everyone and can harm human health in irreversible ways. Pollution from coal power plants cause roughly 3,000 premature deaths every year in Turkey alone.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cigdem Caglayan from HASUDER added: “The Alpu Coal Power Plant and its effects on air pollution and public health should be re-evaluated and the tender process of the plant should be cancelled. The Alpu Coal Power Plant is designed to burn 7,8 billion tonnes of coal, which is more than 156 times than the amount used in homes for heating purposes. In addition, each 10μg/m3 increase of air pollutant emissions means 15-27% increase in the premature death rates due to lung cancer”.
From left to rigth: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cigdem Caglayan from HASUDER, Dr. Mehmet Akif Aladağ from Eskisehir Chamber of Medicines, Funda Gacal from HEAL, Melih Karasözen from TEMA Foundation
HEAL’s Funda Gacal was also a guest of Es TV, a local television channel, where she spoke about the health effects of coal power plants and energy policies in Turkey. Gacal underlined the health costs associated with air pollution from fossil fuels, and pointed towards the 1.9 billion US dollars that the Turkish government invests each year to uphold the country’s fossil fuel industry [3].