For centuries, the Mediterranean region has been written about as a place of global commerce, a cradle of civilisation and a frequent setting for epic adventure. Unfortunately, in the run-up to a season when tourists normally flock to its shores, it has recently been in the news for less glamorous and poetic reasons: marine mucilage.
This thick layer of slime, which is as bad as it sounds, has appeared on parts of the Turkish coast over the past few weeks, choking precious marine life and the livelihoods of those who rely on the sea for a living, from fisherman to the many Turks who work in the country's huge tourism industry. Produced by tiny algae, the slime was first found in Turkey in 2007, further east towards neighbouring Greece. While the substance is not a new phenomenon for the country's environmental authorities, today's outbreak is by far the largest on record.
Ankara yesterday said it would work tirelessly to save the Sea of Marmara, where the substance has gathered, a strategically significant body of water that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. So great is the need to respond that Turkey's Environment Minister, Murat Kurum, has said the region would be designated a protected area by the end of 2021, and that his government would take all necessary steps within three years to protect the site in the short and long term.
Marine mucilage threatens Turkey's huge tourism industry. AP
Summer tourism is fast approaching
What could cause a mass of sludge to appear so suddenly on the coast? A major factor is global warming, caused by carbon emissions that heat oceans to temperatures conducive to marine mucilage. But lax waste-management policies are also responsible. For years, waste and sewage from nearby Istanbul – a city of 16 million people – and its industrial and building sites have been seeping into the area's fragile waters.
Turkey, along with many coastal states in the region, has recognised the environmental and economic threat posed by pollution of the wider Mediterranean. Ankara has been a member of the Programme for the Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean, which monitors the health of the region’s oceans. Despite the organisation being around for half a decade, current crises suggest that more still needs to be done.
The situation provides a lesson for all coastal states in the region, including those in the Gulf. The Arabian Sea is the warmest in the world, putting it on the frontline in the war against algae. More broadly, it is right that countries are taking the threat of marine pollution seriously. Environmental preservation is not just about doing what is morally correct, but also about protecting our prosperity.
Summer is fast approaching and with it, the many devotees of a Mediterranean break will flock to Turkey’s coasts. Any encounters with thick slime, if it is not cleaned up by then, are sure to put a dampener on the holiday. But even that will be just a fraction of the disappointment experienced by the locals who take such pride in living by one of the world’s great seas.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
All matches in Bulawayo Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
