Speak softly and carry poo: How Turkey is putting climate on the agenda

Using tangible signs of degradation to cherished natural landmarks may be the best way to jumpstart a conversation about climate change in countries where awareness is lagging, writes Borzou Daragahi

Our World explains that sea slime is caused by increases in ocean temperatures that allow the algae-like microorganisms to form (AFP via Getty)

There was talk of detox tea and the dangers of mRNA vaccines, as well as strong dashes of New Age mumbo-jumbo about holistic living. But the point of the boat tour along the Bosphorus Strait and into the Sea of Marmara was to raise awareness about climate change and protect the environment.

“We hope to change a lot of stuff, the way people think about climate change,” said Kahraman Haliscelik, of the Our World Foundation, an organisation devoted to protecting Turkey’s environment. “Our main philosophy is clean water, clean soil, and clean air. These are all interdependent.”

Much of the Western world is at the very least aware of the dangers of climate change, the topic of the major ongoing Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Concerns about rising sea levels and catastrophic weather patterns, as well as awareness of practices that could mitigate the damage of our consumption-oriented lifestyles, have begun to seep into the collective consciousness. That is important because it’s the West that continues to be the primary producer of carbon emissions as well as other forms of ecological degradation.