What is Environmental Protection?

​Environmental protection efforts consist of all actions carried out in order to protect the quality of natural life, to ensure sustainability and to ensure that people live in a healthy environment.

The natural resources, i.e., air, water, nutrition and heat, which are necessary to sustain life have been used by humans for thousands of years. Today, increasing population, advanced technologies and activities have increased the human pressure on natural resources. So, we call the planned conservation of natural resources or certain ecosystems via institutional, legal, scientific and technological regulations, "environmental protection". Besides, environmental protection covers taking necessary measures to prevent damage to the environment by human activities, pollution control, waste management, sustainable use of energy and resources, protection of natural ecosystems, conservation of biodiversity or fauna and flora.

Check our article ‘What is Biodiversity?’ for further information on biodiversity.

Environmental Protection: Brief History

Our ancestors did not require to protect the environmental; however, once the cities have grown and gathered larger numbers of people, environmental pollution began to emerge. Find out more about the development of the idea of environmental protection here.

Even in archaeological findings from the ancient times, we find evidences of environmental pollution. For example, the Athenians and Romans dumped any and all kinds of waste into dumpsites they dug outside the city. According to historians, the main cause of epidemics in the Roman Empire was the corpses dumped into these dumpsites. Once the cities developed further in the Middle Ages, environmental pollution increased enormously. Even in the Middle Ages, there were legal sanctions to prevent garbage from being dumped on the streets and into water resources. The first protection law on air pollution enacted in the UK in 1273. Later, a man was executed in London in 1306 for burning coal. In 1388, the Parliament of the United Kingdom banned disposing of garbage in ditches and streams. However, the habit of throwing out garbage from the window to the street continued throughout the Europe even during the Renaissance Period. We can say that environmental pollution, which reached serious extents, began with the Industrial Revolution. Pollution and noise due to the increasing number of industrial facilities in limited areas reached high levels, and bronchitis and pneumonia incidents began to increase with the impact of air pollutants such as ammonia, chloride, carbon monoxide, methane, etc. As the industries developed, the increasing industrial wastes started to pollute our water resources worldwide.

Water pollution became a severe issue in the UK, a pioneering country in the Industrial Revolution. The smell from the River Thames made it unbearable to live close by. Moreover, epidemics of cholera and typhoid began. The first example of the environmental law for businesses regarding endangering human health was enacted in France on October 15, 1810.

In the 20th century, environmental pollution was a serious problem due to the rapid development of industry, the use of chemicals, harmful pesticides and plastic, the increase in the number of motor vehicles, the crowding of cities and nuclear energy. In December 1930, the fog that had lasted for 4 days in the industrial zone in Belgium caused 60 people to die and hundreds of people to become ill… In the early 1980s, schools and offices were closed in Ankara due to the heavy fog that lasted for a few days.

The rapid growth of the industry after the World War II increased the environmental pollution. Following the war, environmental problems began to draw attentions, and several political parties in Europe had to include environmental problems in their agenda because of the efforts of environment activists. In the 1970s, laws were passed in many countries to prevent air pollution. In 1972, United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm and a series of principles to prevent water and soil pollution were adopted. The Ordinance in Italy passed in 1984 and entered into force in 1991 banned packaging with materials that cannot be destroyed by nature.

Environmental Protection in Turkey

In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire established various legislation regarding the protection of historical and cultural assets, and during the Republican period, laws envisaging social arrangements for environmental protection were enacted. However, the first regulation for the protection of the environment was the Environmental Law enacted in 1983. Although there were provisions regarding environmental protection in the "Municipal Law and the Law on Public Health", which were put in effect prior to the aforementioned law, they were insufficient. The foundation, which lists the environmental problems in Turkey, develops the Environmental Law, organizes conferences and correspondence on population-environment-economy-ecology relations, has also tried to improve the insufficiencies in the environmental law in Turkey by publishing fifty books since its establishment.

In Turkey, inaccurate areas and location selection in industry and urbanization, and lack of education and training on environmental problems increase environmental problems. Environmental protection concept has stood out since the second half of the 1980s, and attracted certain interest from the public.

The interest in environmental protection increases every day following the accident that took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the USSR in 1986 and caused many cancer cases, leaking of chemicals from the Sandoz pharmaceutical factory in 1987 and destroying life in the Rhine, and the scientists announcing that the ozone layer in the atmosphere was depleted.

Environmental Protection Measures
The environmental protection actions developed to preserve the quality of the nature and to ensure that people live in a healthy environment are as follows:

1. Waste Management: Developing programs and regulations that encourage recycling or natural degradation of wastes.
2. Use of Energy and Resources: Encouraging energy saving and the use of renewable energy resources.
3. Transportation and Traffic Control: Reducing traffic pollution, encouraging alternative means of transportation.
4. Pollution Control: Controlling and reducing environmental pollution, i.e., industrial pollution, air pollution, water pollution.
5. Conservation of Biodiversity: Conservation of fauna and flora, endemic and rare species.
6. Education and Awareness-Raising: Raising public awareness on environmental protection, providing training.
7. Natural Ecosystem Protection: Protecting natural forests, sea and lake areas, habitats of fauna and flora.

How to Protect the Environment?

Small but effective measures to be taken by individuals can make the earth become more habitable;

• Consume Less
According to the latest researches, 2.1 billion tons of waste is generated in the world per annum. Only 16% of these wastes are recycled. It is of great significance to reduce garbage and solid waste problem to protect the natural balance. We can end this problem by reducing consumption.

• Buy Local Products
Buying locally is when consumers prefer goods produced in their own country. Thus, problems such as packaging, fossil fuel use, carbon emissions, etc. due to the imported goods are reduced.

• Use Organic Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers do not leave any waste in the soil. Moreover, they do not pollute groundwater. Organic fertilizers enriches the soil; hence, plants can produce healthier products. Thus, both human health and the environment are protected.
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• Use Less Chemicals
Check whether the products you prefer consist of natural ingredients. To do so, check the packaging of the product for the ingredients inside.

• Choose Reusable Instead of Disposable
Disposable products are single-use products and thrown away. Therefore, these products increases the problem of garbage and solid waste. All reusable products contribute to the preservation of the natural balance. We can choose reusable products to protect the environment. Not using disposable plastics, such as plastic straws, and opting for paper or metal straws instead can contribute to the environment greatly.

• Use Less Water
Effective habits such as turning off the water while brushing your teeth or using a dishwasher help protecting the environment.
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• Take a Walk, Cycle or Share a Car
Habits that reduce fuel consumption help protecting the environment and reducing exhaust gases significantly.

• Save Energy
There are several methods to save energy. While these methods help you save great amounts, they also protect the environment. For example, building insulation, helps us save during cooling and heating, as well as energy.

We Can Leave a Fair and Green Future to the Next Generations​

Environmental protection means transferring the nature we have been entrusted to future generations. Tackling the climate crisis, protecting the environment, conserving the ecological balance… These factors ensure intergenerational justice. We can think of future generations from today, hence, protect our natural resources.