Türkiye’s Green Crescent Society (Yeşilay) is calling for stronger environmental monitoring of addictive industries ahead of the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), as its newly released Türkiye Addiction and Environment Research Report finds biological wastewater treatment removes up to 100% of examined substances at certain facilities.
Speaking at the report’s presentation in Istanbul on Monday, Yeşilay President Mehmet Dinç said addiction should not be viewed solely as an individual issue, emphasizing its broader implications for society and the environment.
“Addiction is not merely an individual issue. It is not simply a matter of one person harming themselves or jeopardizing their health,” Dinç said, adding that its consequences extend to public safety, social stability, violence and crime, as well as environmental protection.
He called for industries associated with addictive products and behaviors to be held more accountable for their environmental impact, including through regular reporting of carbon emissions, water consumption and waste generation. He also stressed the need to integrate environmental protection and climate change into addiction prevention policies.
The report examines the two-way relationship between addiction and environmental degradation, covering tobacco, alcohol, drugs, gambling and digital technologies. It highlights how the production and consumption of addictive products place pressure on natural resources, while climate change and environmental disruption can affect mental health and increase vulnerability to addictive behaviors.
Researchers examined wastewater from seven treatment plants in Adana and Hatay in southern Türkiye, Trabzon and Samsun in the Black Sea region, Antalya on the Mediterranean coast, Izmir in the Aegean region and Istanbul in the northwest.
The team collected samples before and after treatment to measure how effectively the facilities removed traces of substances linked to cocaine, cannabis, opioids, ecstasy, amphetamines, nicotine and alcohol. Caffeine was also measured as an indicator of human activity.
Evşen Güzel of Çukurova University, who contributed to the research, said the study compared the performance of different treatment systems.
The results showed that biological treatment removed between 82% and 100% of the substances examined. However, at a facility without biological treatment, removal rates were considerably lower. MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, was among the most difficult substances to remove, with levels falling by only 9% at some facilities despite biological treatment.
The report also found that methamphetamine and MDMA could remain in wastewater after treatment, potentially posing risks to aquatic life. The researchers stressed the importance of monitoring wastewater and expanding advanced biological treatment to reduce the amount of these substances entering rivers, bays and seas.
The study involved 98 sample analyses. The report notes that its purpose was to measure the substances remaining after treatment, not to determine how widely drugs are used in the seven regions.
The report estimates that tobacco production and consumption generate around 80 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually worldwide, equivalent to the yearly emissions of approximately 17 million gasoline-powered cars. Tobacco cultivation occupies about 3.2 million hectares of agricultural land and is linked to 5% of global deforestation, according to the report.
Türkiye consumes approximately 150.4 billion cigarettes annually, adding to the environmental burden of tobacco use. Discarded cigarette butts are also identified as a major source of tobacco-related pollution.
Alcohol production requires between 9 and 22 liters of water for every liter of alcoholic beverage produced. Meanwhile, European research cited in the report estimates that producing one kilogram of synthetic drugs generates between 25 and 43 kilograms of chemical waste. Drug production can also contribute to deforestation and the loss of natural habitats when forests are cleared for cultivation.
The report extends its analysis to digital technologies, including online gambling. Data centers serving digital services account for around 1% to 2% of global electricity consumption, a figure projected to double by 2030.
Growing demand for artificial intelligence could add to that burden. A study cited in the report estimates that the expansion of AI servers between 2024 and 2030 could generate an additional 24 million to 44 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually and create a water footprint of 731 million to 1.125 billion cubic meters per year.
The report links environmental pollution to around 9 million premature deaths worldwide each year, or one in six deaths. It also highlights rising climate-related health risks, including increased heat-wave exposure among older people and infants, while 1.1 billion children face at least three climate hazards.
A study of 10,000 young people across 10 countries found that more than 45% of those aged 16 to 25 said climate-related feelings negatively affected their daily lives.
