Over 50 Greenpeace activists from Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia organized an awareness campaign on Vama Veche beach on Sunday to draw attention to the urgent need to protect the vulnerable ecosystems of the Black Sea.
The event featured the placement of a giant lifebuoy with a diameter of 12 meters and banners with messages such as „Their exploitation, our suffering,” „Together for the Black Sea,” and „Black Sea without drilling.”
A fragile ecosystem under the pressure of war and pollution
The protest was also attended by Dr. Sofia Sadogurska, a marine biologist from Ukraine, who warned about the major risks facing the region.
"The Black Sea is a fragile ecosystem subjected to enormous pressures such as pollution and climate change. Russia's war in Ukraine has already exerted enormous additional pressure on this ecosystem. New fossil fuel extraction projects could push it to the limit. Every drilling, every spill, every negligence has consequences for biodiversity and, consequently, for humans," she stated.
Critical messages were also conveyed by Greenpeace Romania. "From fossil fuel corporate projects to wars and oil spills, the Black Sea and the lives depending on it face constant threats. The Neptun Deep project risks deepening the pressures on the Black Sea, an already vulnerable ecosystem.
Offshore drilling endangers marine species, habitats, and the balance of the entire ecosystem, and the experience of the rusty platforms left behind by the same company shows how little responsibility exists in managing these risks. We cannot sacrifice the biodiversity of the Black Sea for short-term gains," stated Alin Tănase, campaigns coordinator at Greenpeace Romania.
Call for regional cooperation
Greenpeace Bulgaria emphasized the importance of a common approach. "The Black Sea is a common resource. We cannot talk about its protection only in one country or another. Pollution and unbridled exploitation affect us all, and the solutions must be regional and based on international cooperation," stated Meglena Antonova, executive director of the organization.
Through this joint action, Greenpeace Romania and Greenpeace Bulgaria call on authorities to halt the expansion of oil and gas exploitation projects in the region to protect the biodiversity of the Black Sea and prevent the worsening of the climate crisis and associated extreme weather events.