Istanbul's Belgrade Forest being degraded

Jose Bove, the French farm workers' union leader, recently said the following: "As far as world leaders are concerned, the entire planet should submit to market laws. Our struggle is based on resistance to this development. Health, education, culture, food - these are all issues that are close to everyone's heart. Today they are in danger of becoming commodities. Waves of opposition to this commodification can be felt in all corners of the world. There are two different views of society. One where the market with its own rules, runs everything, and where all human activity takes place with capital as the bottom line; the other view is one where people and their political institutions, not to mention issues such as the environment and culture, are at the forefront of people's concerns." 

Unfortunately, like most other places in the world, we in Turkey also live solely according to the laws of money.  And we make nature pay the biggest price for this. In fact, the price paid by nature is a price that humans pay by being deprived of it. But we do not notice this.

Houses, roads, bridges and railroads are built for the human. Of course, in this era quality and fast transportation is important. But while all of these are defined as needs; it makes no sense to not regard nature as a need. 

While land is being sacrificed to build roads, bridges and houses, and to extract resources from the ground, they are all regarded as using national resources appropriately for the interests of the country. It is argued that there is superior public benefit in this. 

It is impossible to understand how eroding nature serves the best interests of the country and the public. Before anything else, humans need nature - especially people who live in cities...