We need a citizen initiative!

While we keep talking about the local elections, a new crisis is at our doorstep: The water crisis, food security, and drought!

From the summer of 2024 onwards, nothing will be the same!

Our world's average temperature increase has exceeded 1.5 degrees. We have entered a period dominated by uncertainty. As a precaution against the effects created by the climate crisis, developed countries are moving towards radical changes in food policies, agriculture, and animal production, but Turkey, instead of taking any precautions, is drifting towards a major collapse by destroying forest ecosystems, ignoring toxic substance pollution in water basins, and doing nothing against the decrease in organic matter load and biological diversity in our soils.

Following the elections, a great danger that we are not yet aware of awaits us.

Food security and food safety!

The amount of organic matter in 88 percent of Turkey's soil is below 2 percent. Our soil is sounding the alarm!

If we had spent the 55 million dollars we spent on a space trip on repairing our soil and cleaning up heavily polluted water basins, we might have been able to escape the crisis we will face in the near future to some extent.

Unfortunately, I think we have lost very precious time. It is not me saying this, but food engineer Bülent Şık, who has spent years conducting research on food safety. “We have overused the soil, we have ruined it. Various chemical substances used in agriculture have caused great damage to the biological diversity in the soil. We are in real need of a public corrective and restorative program in terms of pollution and impoverishment in our soil and water assets. It was necessary to take public precautions and put corrective and restorative activities into practice. It was necessary to restore the damaged ecosystem in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, and local governments. There is still no such program in Turkey.”

I made a documentary with those who are taking responsibility against the food crisis we will experience in the near future. My goal was to tell those who govern the country to act quickly and take precautions with a public program. Our documentary is available on YouTube starting today. I wanted to record the warnings of our documentary's protagonist, food engineer Bülent Şık, in writing as well.

Bülent Şık warns;

*There is no wetland in Turkey that is not currently polluted in terms of toxic substances. Menderes, the Gediz Delta, Ergene, Çukurova, and groundwater are all polluted.

*Our soils in Turkey are sounding the alarm. The organic matter load is very low. We are experiencing a decrease in water assets. The crisis effect of the climate crisis could make Turkey water-poor in the coming years. A one-third reduction in water quantity is expected.

*There is no public program in Turkey where we carefully monitor toxic substance pollution in wetlands.

*For the last five years, 500-600 thousand tons of plastic waste have entered Turkey annually. We import this waste from the EU. This waste falls into the hazardous waste category. It contains various heavy metals. It is brought in to be recycled, but we cannot recycle plastic waste. This waste leaks various chemical substances into the soil and water. It enters the food chain and is carried all the way to our tables.

*Toxic substances used in agriculture and pollutants originating from waste cause very severe health problems for children under five. The period including the time in the womb and the first five years of life is very important in terms of growth. According to the WHO report, children under five are the most affected by problems such as unexpected extreme weather events due to climate change, toxic substance pollution in agriculture, crop losses, and the increase in infectious diseases.

*Pesticides used in agriculture and the increase in lead levels in water damage children's neurological development. It can lead to a weakening of cognitive faculties such as attention deficit, learning difficulties, and a decrease in reasoning skills. It causes damage to the endocrine system and the hormonal system.

*Due to lead pollution in water, children are exposed to toxic substances. There are 2.2 million children in Turkey with a blood lead level above 10 micrograms. A child we call a lazy student may perhaps have a very high blood lead level. A child we say “has learning difficulties” may perhaps have such a problem. Toxic substance exposure turns a child's hormonal system upside down. In the near future, permanent cognitive defects such as learning difficulties, attention deficit, inability to concentrate, inability to reason, and a decline in academic success will emerge in children due to problems caused by lead pollution in water. This is a silent epidemic. Problems caused by lead pollution are invisible problems.

*We must very quickly map out to what extent and in which region what has been polluted by toxic substance pollution. This will show us what we need to do.

Dear readers, we must now talk about the issue of FOOD and WATER security, which is not on the daily political agenda but will affect our lives. If there is no water, food production is not even possible! Our food security would largely disappear. What kind of society do we want? Do we really want to raise our children healthily?

We cannot be sufficient in ensuring food safety in our homes on our own. We cannot prevent diseases by shopping at the organic market. We must demand. We must demand public policies that will ensure the spread of agroecology with a very urgent public program. Turkey does not have such a public policy. We must demand that our children's health be placed at the center of public health programs. We cannot solve toxic substance pollution with individual measures. As citizens, as mothers and fathers, as individuals of this society, we must come forward with a demand. We are in great need of a citizen initiative that will put forward this political will.

Before it is too late, it is time to take action!