--- title: "Greenpeace unveils six-meter 'Trojan Horse' overflowing with plastic waste at Konyaalti City Hall during COP31" description: "At the Konyaalti town hall in Antalya, Greenpeace has deployed a six-meter wooden 'Trojan Horse' spilling plastic waste. The installation, created with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, aims to draw the attention of COP31 delegates to the role of the petrochemical industry in plastic pollution." date: 2026-11-13T15:39:54.546Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/greenpeace-trojan-horse-plastic-cop31-konyaalti tags: [greenpeace, cop31, plastic-pollution, turkey, climate-change, thomas-dambo, antalya] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Greenpeace unveils six-meter 'Trojan Horse' overflowing with plastic waste at Konyaalti City Hall during COP31 ![Greenpeace activists standing next to a 6-meter wooden Trojan Horse sculpture filled with plastic waste at city hall](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/13/greenpeace-troyanskij-kon-plastik-cop31-koniyalta/greenpeace-troyanskij-kon-plastik-cop31-koniyalta-1.webp) ## Key Points - Greenpeace installed a six-meter wooden 'Trojan Horse' overflowing with plastic at the Konyaalti town hall - The installation was created in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo to highlight the petrochemical industry's role in plastic pollution - Activists hope the exhibition will push COP31 delegates in Antalya to reduce primary plastic production - Konyaalti Mayor Cem Kotan supported the installation's message, calling it a 'resonant call' to climate summit participants Amidst preparations for the COP31 summit in Antalya, a massive installation has appeared outside the Konyaalti district town hall in Turkey: a six-meter-tall wooden "Trojan Horse," with a heap of plastic waste spilling continuously from its belly. Greenpeace activists, waving yellow banners reading "STOP PLASTIC — BIG OIL'S TROJAN HORSE," accompanied the unveiling of the structure, while passersby stopped to film the scene. Nearby, municipal cleaning services were cleaning the adjacent coastline of litter at the same moment, providing a striking visual contrast to the demonstration. ### An allegory created with a Danish artist The sculpture was executed in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, known for his large-scale wooden structures. According to the creators, the horse is not just a nod to the myth of the Trojan War, but a direct metaphor: plastic, like the legendary gift to the Trojans, slips unnoticed into everyday life, only to "release" a hidden environmental cost. The installation aims to draw attention to fossil fuel companies that continue to ramp up polymer production despite the rising volume of plastic pollution in oceans and coastal zones. ### 'Plastic is the petrochemical industry's Trojan Horse' Greenpeace activist Berk Butan, speaking by the structure, emphasized that the sculpture clearly demonstrates how plastic functions as a "Trojan Horse" for the petrochemical industry—seeping imperceptibly into consumer routines and then turning into waste that society cannot manage. According to the activists, the exhibition is designed not only for the local audience but also for world leaders gathered in Antalya for COP31: the goal is to prompt them to make decisions on reducing primary plastic production and tightening waste management systems. ### Reaction of local authorities During the opening ceremony, the Mayor of Konyaalti, Cem Kotan, stated that the installation conveys a "resonant call" to both high-ranking guests gathered in Antalya and viewers around the world. According to him, the appearance of such artistic protest at a turning point in international climate negotiations and industrial regulation underscores the urgent need to curb waste streams associated with fossil fuel use. Thus, the city authorities publicly supported the activists' message without questioning the summit's environmental agenda. ### Context: COP31 and the global plastic agenda The COP31 summit is taking place in an environment where climate negotiations are becoming increasingly intertwined with issues of industrial regulation and the circular economy. Plastic pollution remains one of the most visible and emotionally charged topics for environmental movements: unlike abstract CO₂ emission figures, piles of plastic on the coast are visible to everyone. The installation in Konyaalti, which coincided with the work of climate delegations, became another example of how street art and activism attempt to translate the environmental agenda from reports and resolutions into a public visual statement addressed to both politicians and the public. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Видео. Турция: на COP31 шестиметровый «Троянский конь» высыпает пластиковые отходы](https://ru.euronews.com/video/2026/11/13/turkey-six-metre-trojan-horse-spills-plastic-waste-at-cop31) - Original source. Confirmed: structure size (6 m), location (Konyaalti town hall), participation of Greenpeace and Thomas Dambo, quotes from Berk Butan and Mayor Cem Kotan, link to COP31 in Antalya, cleaning services working nearby. ## FAQ ### Where and when was the 'Trojan Horse' installation set up? The six-meter wooden sculpture was installed outside the Konyaalti district town hall in Antalya (Turkey) in November 2026, during the COP31 climate summit. ### Who created the installation and what is its meaning? The structure was created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo in collaboration with Greenpeace. The meaning is to show that plastic acts as a 'Trojan Horse' for the petrochemical industry: it slips into everyday life unnoticed and then turns into waste that society cannot recycle. ### What effect do activists expect from the exhibition? Activists hope the installation will attract the attention of COP31 delegates and push them to take measures to reduce primary plastic production and tighten waste management systems. ### How did local authorities react? Konyaalti Mayor Cem Kotan described the installation as a 'resonant call' to climate summit participants and stressed the need to curb waste associated with fossil fuel use.