Human impact on the environment

With fear over drought rising in Istanbul as water levels in dams continue to drop due to prolonged heatwaves and hot weather, the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (İSKİ) has announced the installation of water-conservation devices in houses with high consumption.

Large and destructive wildfires are showing us once again the importance of protecting the environment. It is no longer a theoretical issue or something that concerns a few scientists.

Attica has lost valuable forests in recent years. The effects of natural disasters have a direct impact on the economy, on tourism and on everyone's lives. 

This was stated by Simon Lewis, Professor of Global Change Science at University College London.
"This is just the beginning. This is what the climate system can do with just 1.2 degrees Celsius of warming. Current global policies are putting us at 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100. That's really scary," Lewis warned, reports Sky News.

From climate change to species loss and pollution, humans have etched their impact on the Earth with such strength and permanence since the middle of the 20th century that a special team of scientists says a new geologic epoch began then.

A new study conducted by the Archipelagos Institute for Marine Conservation, titled "First Assessment of Micro-Litter Ingested by Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Monk Seals Found Stranded along the Coasts of Samos Island, Greece," has shed light on the extent of plastic pollution in the Aegean Sea. 

India imposed a ban on many single-use plastics on July 1 in a bid to tackle waste choking rivers and poisoning wildlife, but experts say it faces severe headwinds from unprepared manufacturers and consumers unwilling to pay more.

In 2010, 8.8 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste came from China

The Zero-Waste Project has been a great success, making a large contribution to the Turkish economy, first lady Emine Erdoğan has said.

"The project has reached a point that it is beyond my dreams," the first lady said in an interview with Anadolu Agency, noting that people from all quarters of the society are aware of the Zero-Waste initiative.

The annual amount of plastic waste produced in Turkey in 2021 is nearly 5.6 million tons, according to an academic publication, which underlines Turkey as the ninth country that produces the most plastic waste in the world.

What can be done to prevent Africa from becoming the world's biggest dumping ground for plastic?

That's one of the big questions facing United Nations members next week at a stock-taking on Earth's environmental woes.

From Antananarivo to Dakar via Nairobi and Conakry, African cities are scarred by huge landfills where plastic waste is measured in the thousands of tonnes.