Excessive meat consumption contributes to climate change
The importance of individual consumption habits in combating climate change is increasing. Experts emphasize that the climate crisis is closely linked to people's daily habits and highlight the environmental impact of a "culture of waste." Experts emphasize that consuming excessive meat and high-water-density foods, in particular, impacts climate change in terms of their "water footprint." They also emphasize the need to make visible the loss of life due to "heat waves" within the healthcare system.
"CONSUME LESS, REUSE, RECYCLE"Prof. Dr. Mikdat Kadıoğlu, Director of the Disaster Management Institute at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), stated that preventing waste will reduce the pressure on nature. He said, "In our religion, waste is a sin. We overshop and throw it away; this is waste. There's a lot of misuse of things like water, food, and energy. In the fight against climate change, we say 'consume less, reuse, recycle.' These are actually ecological issues related to protecting the environment. Because I think it's related to waste, I call these 'ecological sins.' Because perhaps people will understand the situation better this way. The more we prevent waste, the less pressure we will put on the environment and nature. This will make it easier to protect the environment, nature, and fight climate change."
Professor Dr. Kadıoğlu stated that excessive meat consumption has a negative impact on climate change, saying, "We need to be mindful of what we eat and drink during climate change. Excessive meat consumption harms climate change. One kilogram of red meat consumes 15 tons of water before it reaches the table. Therefore, we need to use products with a small water footprint. We should avoid tropical plants, avocados, and kiwis. These fruits require tropical rainwater. Corn and beans, which are indigenous to this region, contain protein. I'm not saying 'don't eat meat,' but we shouldn't overdo it. The more we consume products with a high water footprint, the more damage we do to the world."
"'HEAT WAVE' SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE CAUSES OF DEATH"Kadıoğlu, highlighting the impact of heat waves on deaths, said, "Summers are hot. Heat waves come every now and then. Concrete areas create an 'urban heat island.' When all these factors combine, the sick, the obese, the elderly, and children die on the upper floors of apartment buildings. In August 2003, 35,000 people died in Europe. Hospitals recorded these deaths as 'heat waves.' Deaths in Türkiye are not recorded as such. If we were to investigate, 'How many people die from heat waves in Trabzon?' There are no records. These are unrecorded. It would be greatly beneficial to include heat waves among the root causes of deaths."
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