2022 Press Releases
Didim becomes the first town in Turkey to endorse the Plant Based Treaty in response to the climate emergency
Media Contact(s):
Nilgün Engin: +90 532 437 51 33, [email protected]
Nicola Harris: +447597514343, [email protected]
Media Files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YfrqIZiJH4sZGdQ-h0apGQa9dMEp433q
October 14, 2022 – Today Didim Council endorsed the Plant Based Treaty, becoming the first town in Turkey to join the groundbreaking initiative to tackle emissions from animal farming and attributed deforestation, a key driver of the climate emergency. The endorsement comes a year after Turkey ratified the Paris climate agreement.
Ahmet Deniz Atabay, Mayor of Didim, said,
“We are aware of the seriousness of the climate crisis and we believe that the Plant Based Treaty campaign will make a positive contribution towards solutions to this crisis.”
The Plant Based Treaty is backed by 19 municipal governments worldwide, including the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires. Climate campaigners in Turkey are now calling on other towns and cities to follow Didim’s lead and help create a council-led movement calling for a shift towards healthier, more sustainable plant-based diets.
Nilgün Engin, Plant Based Treaty, said,
“Didim’s decision to endorse the Plant Based Treaty is a bold and necessary move to tackle animal agriculture emissions and promote plant-based food solutions to the climate emergency. IPCC reports show that plant-based diets are the optimal diet to mitigate the climate crisis and can save 8 Gt CO2-eq per year. I urge towns and cities across Turkey to follow Didim’s lead because we must see a seismic shift to plant-based diets this decade to avoid complete planetary breakdown.”
Engin plans to work with Didim Council to deliver a series of workshops and educational programs to help transition a third of menus in local cafes and restaurants to plant-based. There are also plans to publish a Plant Based Treaty city map so that the community can easily access climate-friendly plant-based food options in the town.
Engin has been invited by The Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change to deliver a presentation about why a global Plant Based Treaty is key to combatting the climate crisis on November 17, 6pm EET at the Turkish Pavillion, COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Background
The Plant Based Treaty is modelled on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and inspired by treaties that have addressed the threats of ozone layer depletion and nuclear weapons. Since its launch in August 2021, the initiative has received support from 59,000 individual endorsers, 5 Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, more than 900 NGOs and community groups and 900 businesses, including Hayvan Hakları İzleme Komitesi and Vegan Association Turkey.
A Plant Based Treaty is urgently needed as a companion to the Paris Agreement as there is currently no mechanism in place to limit the expansion of animal agriculture and promote a shift to plant-based diets. The treaty aims to significantly reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions by:
- Freezing global expansion of deforestation attributed to animal agriculture.
- Incentivizing a plant-based food system through taxes and subsidies.
- Encouraging public information campaigns about the benefits of plant-based foods.
- Freeing up land to rewild and reforest the Earth.
- Allowing a just transition to more sustainable jobs, healthier people and a healthier planet.
For more information visit plantbasedtreaty.org