Meaningful Message from TEMA Foundation on World Environment Day: "Our land is our future. We are the generation to restore nature!"

On June 5, on the occasion of World Environment Day, TEMA Foundation emphasized the need to take immediate action against environmental threats for a sustainable future and drew attention to the important responsibilities of the current generation. Ms. Deniz Ataç, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of TEMA Foundation, said, "All segments of society need to take action together to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, end the loss of biodiversity and ensure sustainable life and intergenerational justice." She listed the steps to be taken to protect the environment.

This year's theme of World Environment Day, celebrated by the United Nations (UN) every year on June 5, was determined as "Our Land. Our Future. #RestorationGeneration". TEMA Foundation emphasized that this generation, which it calls "The Generation that Will Restore Nature", undertakes a critical role to ensure a sustainable future.

Emphasizing that we are faced with vital ecological problems in the world and in Türkiye, Deniz Ataç said, "We must all take responsibility for the solution of major global problems such as climate crisis, erosion, desertification, deforestation, decrease in wetlands and loss of biodiversity. Unfortunately, modern society has rapidly become consumption oriented. According to research, we are consuming 1.6 Earths today. As all people living in the world, we have exceeded the annual ecosystem capacity in the first days of August 2023. This situation shows how much humanity's demand for natural assets exceeds the self-renewal capacity of the ecosystem and the impacts of consumption habits on nature. It clearly shows how much damage it has caused. In order to leave a livable planet to future generations, we must all take action to restore nature and reduce the burden on nature. For this reason, today's generation has great responsibilities."

The equivalent of 11 football pitches of forest is destroyed every minute

Stating that drought and desertification caused by the climate crisis lead to degradation in our lands, decrease in water resources and increase the severity of forest fires, Ataç said, "In addition to all these, natural assets are rapidly disappearing due to human activities. Since 1990, the destroyed forest area in the world has reached four times size of Türkiye, namely 420 million hectares. Currently, forest land at the size of 11 football pitches is destroyed every minute. In addition to the destruction of forest areas, biodiversity has been decreasing rapidly since 1970 due to overexploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive species. To date, the decrease in biodiversity has reached 68%. Today, there are 245,000 km² of area in the seas and oceans where almost all life has disappeared due to pollution."

Drawing attention to the threats faced by the forest assets in Türkiye, Deniz Ataç said, "Legal regulations that allow many areas to be used, especially mining activities, threaten our forests. Since 2012, 410 thousand hectares of forest area has been used for mining, energy and other uses. Wild mining poses a serious danger not only to our forests, but also to our pastures, agricultural areas and rivers."

If 15% of destroyed areas are restored, 60% of endangered species will be saved

Underlining that destroying our living resources creates a worrying picture for future generations, Deniz Ataç said, "We must reverse this picture to protect the rights of future generations. Therefore, we must turn our face to nature and heal the wounds inflicted in nature. To keep global warming below 2 degrees, we must protect natural assets, protect nature, stop the destruction and restore the destroyed areas. The most effective method for this purpose is restoration actions. With these actions, we can protect not only the climate but also the biodiversity. If 15% of the destroyed areas are restored, 60% of the endangered species will be saved. While we are facing all these ecological problems, we should not forget that our actions are a necessity to protect our future and ensure intergenerational justice. Small actions taken by every individual can create big changes in environmental awareness. Small steps such as increasing recycling, saving energy and opting for sustainable products create significant effects when taken collectively."

Ataç said, "Let's not forget that our land means our future. We are the generation that will restore nature!". She urged everyone to protect natural assets and contribute to a sustainable future on the occasion of World Environment Day.

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