The 'Cooperation and Green Deal Symposium for Climate Change', which will be held by the Environmental Problems Application and Research Center, hosted by Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) between 24-26 October 2022, has started.
Speaking at the opening of the Cooperation for Climate Change and Green Deal Symposium, Rector Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal said, “We came together to talk about ourselves and our future on the important theme of climate change. It makes the symposium privileged, organized not only as an academic event but also to plan future action.” he said.
Thanking those who contributed to the organization of the symposium, Rector Ünal said, “In the world we live in, climate is no longer the subject of the academy, we need to face this reality. If we do not make a strategic decision and take a radical initiative today, it will be too late for us tomorrow. For this reason, it is an awareness, or rather an activity that emerges as a necessity imposed on us by awareness. The initiation process at the university first started with a workshop. The goal was to hold a symposium with many participants after the workshop. For this reason, different thoughts were taken when choosing the theme or creating these groups.” said.
“We will announce the international report in December”
Prof. said that their goal is to present this environmental report prepared by the university to the public. Dr. Yavuz Ünal said, “We will declare the international report in December, where all experts come together, taking into account the developments in the world regarding the threats we face regarding the environment and climate change. I attach importance to the fact that OMU, a well-established university, publishes these outputs as a book. However, this is not an academic activity. "We will clearly reveal what the changes in the world we live in will bring to us and call on everyone, especially institutions, to take part." he said.
“We carried out campus-related studies for a green and environmentally friendly university”
Stating that they have done a lot of work to redesign the Kurupelit Campus, Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal said, “We carried out some campus-related work for a green and environmentally friendly university. We determined the carbon footprint of our campus and prepared a strategic plan to reduce the carbon footprint on the campus. We have included this in the strategic plan to shape the culture of consumption, from transportation to consumption. Another is that we released pheasants and partridges to restore and protect natural life on campus. These were important for us to gain awareness. “We planted approximately 10 thousand trees in abandoned and unused areas.” he said.
“I find the mission undertaken by OMU valuable”
Rector Ünal also emphasized the concept of consumption and said, “Climate change has begun to threaten our existence. It will be too late tomorrow. "The geography we live in is one of the geographies that will be affected by this situation at the earliest, so we find the mission undertaken by OMU valuable." said.
“We want you to gain awareness”
Rector Ünal pointed out that 62 projects related to climate and environment were produced as OMU in 2022 and some of these projects were patented, and at the end of his speech, he gave advice to the students and concluded as follows: “We aim to save, clean and turn the world we have polluted into a livable world together. For this reason, while we invite all our stakeholders to take part, we also want you to gain awareness.” He ended his speech with these words:
“We aim to raise awareness about climate change and environmental deformation”
Symposium President and Environmental Problems Application and Research Center Director Prof. Dr. Yüksel Ardalı said, “When we started the preparations for this symposium a year ago, we planned to hold a symposium with a multidisciplinary approach and include all our stakeholders. We aim to raise awareness about climate change and environmental deformation at the symposium, and we aim to look to the future with more hope by creating a platform where studies on many issues are discussed. Our topics are life health, engineering, architecture, technology, zero waste, nature and biodiversity, climate policies, green transformation, green agreement, wetlands and hemp.” he said.
“The world doesn't have much time anymore”
Stating that the symposium will include 23 invited speakers from different disciplines, 86 oral presentations, 24 poster presentations, 2 exhibitions, three workshops and a closing session, Ardalı said, “The world does not have much time anymore. In the new world, where the work of academics, artists and activists will lead, we must first change our lifestyle, production and consumption habits, solve problems with an integrated and green transformation approach and work together. For example, if we harm the world while recycling or use chemicals, we are on the wrong track. If we cannot implement our environmental discourse and our measures regarding climate change, we are not on the right track. "We all owe this world, which is our living space, and we have to live in this world under moral and ethical conditions, without excluding any living being." said.
