World set out to draw attention to plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Nature Conservation Foundation (WWF) Blue Panda sailboat anchored in Izmir Turkey in the framework of events. In this context, a protocol was signed between İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and WWF for “Plastic Waste-Free Cities Network”.

The Blue Panda sailboat, which draws attention to the plastic pollution in the Mediterranean and the idea of ​​a "better protected Mediterranean" by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has arrived in Izmir. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality signed a protocol to join WWF's “Plastic Waste Free Cities Network” within the scope of efforts to prevent plastic pollution, which is one of the most important problems on the nature agenda. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor at the signing ceremony Tunç Soyer and WWF Turkey Chairman of the Board Uğur Bayar, as well as İzmir Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mahmut Özgener and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Buğra Gökçe.

We are the nature

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor stated that researches show that 95 percent of the wastes polluting the Mediterranean are made of plastic materials and 80 percent of these wastes are land-based, that is, wastes produced in cities. Tunç SoyerIn his speech before signing the protocol, “Today, thousands of creatures living in the seas; It is damaged due to the effects of plastic materials on living spaces. Micro-plastics, which are formed by the breakdown of plastics over time without dissolving, enter into the bodies of marine creatures without even realizing it. This micro-plastic pollution not only affects living things negatively, but also poses a significant health risk for us, who also eat marine foods as part of the food chain.

In other words, human being, which is a part of nature, destroys its future with all beings in nature. However, nature is the mirror of man. We are nature. The cycle of nature is our own. ”

İzmir is among the leading cities of the world

In water, forest, mountain, soil, that is, wherever there is life; Stating that the life of all beings, including human beings, is an indivisible whole and interconnected, the President Tunç Soyer He continued his words as follows: “Izmir Metropolitan Municipality acts with a vision beyond being a city that is based on this fact and only cares about people's lives. Man, with all beings in nature; It aims to build a future where it leads a life in harmony with air, water and climate.

With this protocol, İzmir contributes to the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and the rich ecosystem in which it lives, and promises to be a city between 2025 and 2030 where plastic waste is not mixed with nature. İzmir also takes its place among the leading cities in the world in the field of plastic pollution prevention. ”

Japan's largest plastic island in the Pacific

WWF-Turkey Chairman Ugur Bay in his speech, "Environmental and climate issues in a very macabre point, all of us We are at a watershed.

The percentage of carbon emissions goes towards 3. From the rain in the Amazons to the melting of the glaciers, we are in serious danger. A terrible cycle of consumption has made the world unsustainable. Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastic mix into the sea.

In the Pacific, a large plastic island almost formed from Japan. If it goes like this, there will be more plastic than fish in 2050. We are the provincial generations who are experiencing the terrible effects of climate change, but the last generation will stop it ”.