The first Environment Forum organized by Anadolu Agency, Türkiye’s leading news provider, kicked off Thursday in Istanbul to raise awareness of the climate crisis and environmental issues.
“Today, we came together to share the need of fighting against the environment and climate crisis from the media perspective with the initiative of Anadolu Agency,” said Serdar Karagoz, Anadolu Agency’s director-general and chairman, addressing the forum which is being held at Istanbul Renaissance Polat Hotel with the main theme Reshaping the Narrative of Environmental and Climate Crises.
Noting that Anadolu Agency has been dealing with these questions for a long time, Karagoz said: “After long-lasting discussions, we recently founded Greenline, one of the most comprehensive media platforms narrating environment and climate issues.”
“Our main goal is ‘remaining responsive’ to the world, while nature and the environment are getting destroyed,” he added. “Greenline platform reports on climate change, green economy, zero waste, and environment stories from all aspects.”
Pointing out that climate journalism should be of the greater importance of all media outlets all over the world, Karagoz said: “As journalists, we not only inform, but also transform the public by revealing man-made disasters behind this crisis.”
Karagoz also noted: “I would like to remind you again that as Anadolu Agency, we do not question the need for action. We do inspire, we do act, we do change. We say ‘a word for a better world’.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the opening of the forum via a video message.
As part of the forum, a session titled Media Responsibility on Climate Change will be moderated by Yusuf Ozhan, Anadolu Agency’s deputy director-general and editor-in-chief, under the title of Media Responsibility on Climate Change.
Representatives of many local and foreign NGOs and international organizations, politicians, academics, and journalists are participating in the event which is featuring sessions on Clean Energy for Sustainable Development, The Media’s Approach to Natural Disasters, and Climate Crisis and Responsibility Sharing, as well as issues such as climate change, energy, the media’s view of climate change and environmental education.
Türkiye’s first lady Emine Erdogan, who has spearheaded the nation’s Zero Waste project since 2017, is expected to deliver a closing speech.
The event aims to tackle issues such as the need to create a new media language on environmental and climate issues, international news agencies raising global awareness, the duties of traditional and new media outlets, and the pursuit of environmental awareness in new news areas.
Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency