President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the book "Türkiye's Zero Waste Journey for a Habitable World" to the heads of state and leaders at the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in India.
President Erdoğan, who emphasised that global solidarity is the key to success in tackling the "triple planetary crisis" of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution in his introduction to the book, also stated:
"International solidarity is increasingly deteriorating, and cooperation is being replaced by self-centred approaches. Humanity as a whole, particularly disadvantaged nations in Africa and Asia, pays the price. In comparison to developed countries, our country has almost no share in the problems associated with climate change and pollution. Nevertheless, as Türkiye, we are both fulfilling our own obligations while also supporting global efforts on this critical issue that concerns the common future of our world and humanity.
In his introduction, President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye has made the most significant contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement with its 2053 Net Zero Emission and Green Development targets, and he went on to say:
"We strive for a cleaner and greener Türkiye through numerous initiatives, from zero waste to renewable energy projects, from the nation's gardens to increasing our forest cover, from wastewater treatment to air quality measurement. In terms of installed renewable capacity, Türkiye ranks fifth in Europe and twelfth in the world. Our efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy saved 90 million tonnes of carbon equivalent greenhouse gas emissions each year. We have doubled our emission reduction target until 2030, in line with our target for Net Zero Emissions by 2053. Türkiye is one of the world's leading countries in combating desertification and soil erosion. We see nature as a gift from Allah. We aim to leave future generations a world that is greener, more beautiful, and more habitable by safeguarding this gift as best we can. From this perspective, promising initiatives for our country and humanity emerged through the "Green Development Initiative and 2053 Net Zero Emissions" targets.
The launch of the "Zero Waste Project," led by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, marked a watershed moment in this process. Our initiative, which is run under the motto "The World is Our Common Home," has garnered international acclaim and received a total of five international awards, including three from United Nations offices and programmes."
"Breathe life and hope into the future..."
Recalling that the Zero Waste Project has turned into a global movement with the UN General Assembly resolution 77/161, adopted with Türkiye's efforts and that March 30 was declared International Day of Zero Waste to be celebrated every year, President Erdoğan said, "We will continue to add to the extensive array of initiatives undertaken to "breathe life and hope into the future." One of such initiatives, in the run-up to our Republic's 100th founding anniversary, is the book "Türkiye's Zero Waste Journey for a Habitable World," compiled by the Directorate of Communications. I would like to congratulate the contributors to this essential work, which incorporates Türkiye's contributions to the future of humanity."
The book consists of four chapters
The book "Türkiye's Zero Waste Journey for a Habitable World", prepared by the Directorate of Communications, discusses the steps taken and the work done by Türkiye on zero waste.
The book, which contains in-depth information about the Zero Waste Project initiated by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, consists of four chapters titled "Waste Management and Environmental Problems", "Institutional Structure of Waste Management in Türkiye", "Legal Regulations on Waste Management in Türkiye" and "Zero Waste Movement".
The book emphasises the necessity of national efforts and international cooperation at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels with the participation of non-governmental organisations and civil society, referring to the extremely important cooperation of the public and private sectors to eliminate environmental problems in favour of humanity.
