AMED – Calling for a collective struggle against the ecosystem’s alarm signals, ecologist Lorenzo Nava said, “We must transform fear into hope, and hope into action.”

 

The Societal Peace and Freedom Forum held in Amed (Diyarbakır) continues with workshops and panels. Participants from Turkey and abroad are discussing broad perspectives on how peace can be socialized through various events.

 

Lorenzo Nava, attending the forum on behalf of the Estonia-based environmental initiative Reskogita and the German-Kurdish civil society organization KulturNetz, drew attention to what he described as a multidimensional attack on nature and called for stronger organization and collective action.

 

Nava stated that engaging in ecological struggle requires ecological understanding. “Until now, ecologists have mostly studied natural ecosystems and environments. But we can also begin to think of our societies as ecosystems, with their own relationships and dynamics functioning much like natural ecosystems,” he said.

 

Pointing to the ecological destruction caused by capitalism, Nava added: “We see other elements such as turbo-capitalism and liberalism consuming the world’s resources. Humans are the only species that do not necessarily support other forms of life. This forms the basis of destruction and extinction.”

 

CALL TO CONFRONT FEAR

 

Calling for action to “save the world,” Nava stressed that the issue concerns the survival of humanity itself. “When we say we must save the planet, the planet itself is already safe. Even if we disappear, the planet will renew itself,” said Nava and added: "World was once covered in ice for billions of years and fire for another billion years, and it renewed itself many times. But the same may not be true for our species.”

 

Nava said the ecological crisis affects everyone from Australia to Canada and from Argentina to Russia, making it a global issue requiring unity. He said: “The first step is to raise awareness and stop denying that there is a problem. And this is a frightening problem. Denial is one way of confronting fear. We must recognize people’s fear and transform it into hope. We must transform fear into hope, and hope into action.”

 

Nava stressed that the ecological struggle remains insufficient, especially in the digital age where concepts of participation and citizenship have changed significantly. He said: “There are not enough organizations, but there is enough demand for these organizations. When we speak with people, organize trainings, workshops and book presentations, we can see that there is a reaction and that our message resonates with people.”

 

THE ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE OF WARS

 

Nava also emphasized the destructive ecological impact of wars. “We are currently at the center of the climate crisis. We are in a process where renewal is necessary. If we fail to do this, the future does not look promising,” he said.

 

Stating that many international conflicts have strong ecological roots, including struggles over resources in Iran and water-related conflicts in Syria Nava warned: “If we do not act, we may see more conflicts, more isolation, more fragmentation, lower quality of life and a more uncertain future.” 

 

Nava also stated that humanity is facing a crisis of imagination. He concluded: “For the first time in human history, we no longer have a utopia. Every era in history had something to dream about. Ours is the first era that sees the future negatively. We no longer dream, and learning how to dream again is vitally important.”

 

MA / Fethi Balaman