My name is Melissa Ceren Gündüz. I am 17 years old.
Like many of my peers, I am aware of the climate changes that are making living conditions
increasingly difficult worldwide, as well as the rising droughts, floods, and wildfires. It is deeply
painful to witness the rapid destruction of the beautiful forests of our beloved country, Turkey, which
already cover only one-third of our land. The summer before I begin twelfth grade, just as in the
previous summer, I was greatly saddened to see our forests reduced to ashes. Moreover, this year,
we not only lost our trees and animals, but also suffered human casualties. Our firefighters and
volunteer workers lost their lives. While our country mobilized all its resources to extinguish these
fires, institutions, social aid organizations, civilians, firefighters, and soldiers all worked together
tirelessly. Although the fires seem to have ended for now, it is impossible to trust what short-term
fluctuations in the climate may bring.
However, forests mean air, water, nourishment, the prevention of disasters such as erosion and
floods, shelter for living beings, ecosystems, and employment opportunities. Therefore, from now
on, one of our goals should be to try to restore the forests that have been lost to fires—for our
future, and for the sake of our children. We must do this both for our country and for our world, to
prevent global warming.
You may have heard of the efforts and campaigns organized by the TEMA Foundation to re-green our
country. In response to strong public demand, the TEMA Foundation has launched a sapling donation
campaign to reforest the areas affected by fires. I wanted to establish this blog to help further
publicize this donation campaign, if possible. Every donation, big or small, that we make or you
make, is valuable. So come along, let your contribution be part of this effort—for our country, for our
world, for our future.