Solarized Turkey

When I was leaving Antalya airport (Turkey) this afternoon, I ran into a young volunteer from Greenpeace Turkey who was installing a photo exhibition in the Arrival hall. Directed at the delegates to the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Greenpeace exhibition echoes the call from scientists and environmentalists for the immediate closure of the bluefin tuna fisheries in the Mediterranean.

The ICCAT meeting opens tomorrow here. It is largely considered that it will be the make or break meeting for the Mediterranean bluefin tuna which are on the brink of extinction because of overfishing, irresponsible harvesting practices, and lack of enforcement of existing regulations.

While the taxi was taking me to the Porto Bello Hotel where the meeting will take place, I was struck by the number of solar panels on virtually every building here. They're basically everywhere, and in very big numbers.

I don't think I had ever seen such a solarized city ever before. It helps put things in perspective: Turkey is largely seen as a developing country; but when it comes to solar power it looks like it's on its way to be hyper-developed.