ANKARA
Türkiye on Monday marked World Environment Day, a global annual event that encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
"There is only one thing that water, soil, air and all living things want to tell humanity: Don't consume nature, don't destroy it, let it live!" first lady Emine Erdogan said on Twitter.
"First of all, in order to live, we need to keep it (nature) alive. We must restore a balanced, measured and harmonious relationship with nature, our source of healing," she added.
Su, toprak, hava ve tüm canlıların insanlığa anlatmak istediği tek bir şey var: Doğayı tüketme, yok etme, yaşat!
— Emine Erdoğan (@EmineErdogan) June 5, 2023
Her şeyden önce yaşamak için, yaşatmaya muhtacız. Şifa kaynağımız tabiatla dengeli, ölçülü ve ahenk içindeki bir ilişkiyi yeniden tesis etmeliyiz.
Durduğumuz… pic.twitter.com/GRmGFZgsTE
She said there is still the opportunity to leave a livable world to future generations by spreading the transformation that started with the zero-waste project.
In 2017, under the auspices of Erdogan, Türkiye launched the zero-waste project to highlight the importance of eliminating waste in fighting the climate crisis.
The project has drawn international praise, with UN chief Antonio Guterres expressing his gratitude to Türkiye's first lady during a conference in New York last September.
Last December, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on the zero waste initiative presented by Türkiye, declaring March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste.
"I sincerely believe that every life changed by the love of nature will be a vital part of the solution," the first lady said.
For his part, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the citizens to be sensitive about the protection of natural richness and their transfer to future generations.
"Türkiye will continue to strive for a more livable world with many works (we have done)," Erdogan said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry tweeted: "Happy #WorldEnvironmentDay and #TürkiyeEnvironmentWeek! Let's protect our seas and forests for "Clean Sea, Clean World" and combat climate change together."
Separately, the National Defense Ministry said Türkiye cares about the fight against climate change, and continues its struggle with zero waste for the protection of the natural environment and the creation of sustainable living environments.
Held annually since 1973, the day has also become a vital platform for promoting progress on the environmental dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals.
