Turkish first lady spotlights environmental crisis, importance of establishing new systems

Türkiye’s first lady and chair of the UN Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, Emine Erdogan, highlighted the global environmental crisis in a video message sent to the opening of the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, organized by the World Economic Forum in New York.

“Our planet resembles a ravaged mine, the oceans cannot breathe, and cities are struggling to cope with their waste. Therefore, a circular economy is not one of the options before us; it is a necessity for our future,” she said in the video.

The first lady expressed her regret at being unable to attend the gathering and said that current production and consumption systems are not capable of carrying humanity into the future.