Director of Ondokuz Mayıs University Environmental Problems Application and Research Center (ÇEVSAM) Prof. Dr. Yüksel Ardalı was the guest of Orkun Yazgan in his show the Environment Diaries, broadcast by Çevre TV.
Ardalı, who warned about World Overshoot Day in the broadcast, said, "We are harming the ecosystem while benefiting from it, and we are doing harm to humanity with irreversible damages."
Ardalı continued her speech: "For the year 2022, the resources available for Turkey were depleted on 22 June and for the world on 28 July, and we are using the next year's resources. This ecological footprint caused by human activities consumes our resources, and the waste we generate increases the need for the land and water areas we need to dispose of the carbon footprint and the waste we have created. The Global Footprint Network reveals that this rate is above the biocapacity of Turkey. This means that there is an ecological gap in our country as well."
Stating that changing consumption habits also change production needs over time, Ardalı said, "Efficiency and reflecting this efficiency in every area of our lives are essential to use resources correctly. It is possible to reduce our ecological footprint at many points, from the vehicles we use to the water we consume, from our food consumption habits to the electronic devices we use. In short, we have to make sustainability our way of life."
Prof. Dr. Ardalı also touched upon many issues such as sustainable development goals, circular economy, sustainable production and consumption habits and talked about what should be done in the short term.
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