İÇK (ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL OF ISTANBUL): ECONOMIC ATTACK IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY AND NATURE!

As the Environment Council of Istanbul, we are endeavoring to preserve Turkey and its nature based on the duty assigned to us through our Constitution along with 76 number of merging non-governmental organizations. Recently, economic turmoil is being experienced in our country. This condition is deeply distressing and worrying the management of Environment Council of Istanbul, member non-governmental organizations and our mindful members who are members of Turkish Nation.

İÇK is decisive in taking a stand against all kinds of negativities towards our country that we ‘handle with kid gloves’ by the expression of our ancestors. By this reason, we are condemning regretfully the hostile behavior towards Turkey of USA and its President who is controversial even in his home country.

On the other hand, poverty is one of the outstanding environmental problems. The solution of environmental problems will be realized through an economy based on clean production. The economy consciousness in Turkey, which is being preferred for a long period and which is focused on growth, is both giving irrevocable damages to the environment and exhibiting that it is not sustainable. In the meanwhile, our economy is not being directed to fields of production with low energy consumption and high added value.

The fact that the sectors such as cement, iron-steel and building materials are consuming about half of the electricity that we generate through foreign exchange is the most apparent indicator of this. Turkey has spent the loan on interest in foreign currency found from foreign markets in sectors which don’t have high return in foreign currency as construction being in the first place. In these days, in which we are concerned about our future, the economical preferences unfortunately have made our country open to foreign intervention.

Yet, environmentally conscious production with low energy is being deemed as an obstacle before economical development by the ones currently administering the government. Even if the preference of clean economy requires some sacrifice in the short term, it is the sole preference which will smooth the way for our country in the medium and long term. By this occasion, İÇK is shouting out to the decision makers for the change of preference of investments in this direction!

İÇK, along with being against the foreign interventionists, it is reminding that the administrators of Turkey and our public are required to make a self-criticism.

We are condemning USA regretfully for targeting the countries which don’t serve to its interests by the motive of being dominant on all sides of the world, and for imposing sanctions in a manner that will punish also the public of such countries. This condition is a significant offense against the rights of humans and nature. Attacks realized actually, economically, socially and by other methods for one’s own interests are affront to humanity. We are turning the current USA government’s economic pressure and manipulations on Turkey to all the corporations, institutions and citizens of USA standing with rights of humans and nature.

We are calling the environmentalists in USA to criticize and protest their government on this issue. The sin of each person who will become unemployed through devaluation of Turkish Lira through games, and of each waste to be disposed in the environment is on the government of USA. We are calling the non-governmental organizations and people in USA, who share the same sensitivity, for cooperation on this purpose.

A better, cleaner and livable world is possible by MOVING TOGETHER…

BÜLENT ÖZGEN-HABER MERKEZİ