Turkey turns green
By Athanasios Kotsiaros
Climate change is one of the most critical global challenges of our time. Recent events have emphatically demonstrated our growing vulnerability to it. Human activities are very likely to be responsible for this and global warming will continue for centuries even if greenhouse gas emissions are immediately stabilized.
In Turkey, the negative effects of climate change are rather evident. Over the past few months, Turkey has experienced one of its driest and hottest winter seasons. During last winter, the country suffered severe floods, the worst in the past 100 years.
The situation is rather problematic and its projection in the near future is not optimistic. Turkey's high rate of energy-related carbon emissions growth is expected to accelerate, with emissions rising to almost 400 million tons in 2020 according to estimations. The fast economic development of the country is surely presenting an explanation for the high CO2 emissions (Table 1), as economic growth outweighed environmental regulations:
Energy-intensive, inefficient industries remain under government control with soft budget
constraints, contributing to undisciplined energy use. In the industrialised and high populated areas, the CO2 emissions are much higher than in other parts of the country:
Moreover, carbon intensity in Turkey is higher than in the western developed countries average. Turkey as an Annex I country in the Convention on Climate Change had a ratio of 3.3 ton CO2 emissions per capita in 2003.1 The country is listed in the bottom of the OECD countries, EU-15 countries and also below the world levels (see Table 3):
The role of Central Government
In spite of the efforts and a number of success stories since the early ’80s to address pollution and degradation of environmental resources, environmental management in Turkey has long been suffering from a number of deficiencies. These include over-reliance on regulatory mechanisms, limited public participation and awareness, lack of environmental information, deficiency of budgetary resources allocated to environmental protection and rehabilitation, and lack of capacity of institutional structures at local level.
Despite the fact that planning, policy-making and implementation practices often fail to incorporate environmental rules, Turkey is currently trying to respond to the threat of climate change. The country had an important decision at the 7th Conference of Parties (COP7) in Marrakech in 2001. This places Turkey in a different situation from that of the other Parties included in the Annex I of the Convention. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) came into force on May 2004, with Turkey becoming the 189th Party of the Convention and thus obliged to implement the addressed commitments.
Currently, the overall objectives of energy-related environmental policies in Turkey are to ensure sufficient, reliable and economic energy supplies to support sustainable economical and social development while protecting and improving the environment. The country's environmental policy considers that energy policy should take into account environmental problems and that a balance should be found between increases in energy demand that are required for economic development and environmental concerns.
Institutionally, in charge of the environmental policies and responsible for raising public awareness on the issue is the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The Ministry undertakes important actions towards the dissemination of the pressing issue of climate change, as well as in educating and raising the awareness of society regarding future adverse impacts of global warming.
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) recently adopted a decision to set up a Research Commission on the causes and effects of global warming in the country. The new Commission –consisting of 14 members of Parliament – will provide input as the country attempts to adapt to climate change.
Turkey has not yet adopted the Kyoto protocol, as it was not part of the UNFCCC when the Protocol was adopted in 1997. Thus, Turkey does not have a quantified emission limit or reduction target in the first commitment period of the protocol running from 2008 through 2012.
The new Research Commission, established by the TGNA, is expected to produce a study that might introduce a new dimension in Turkey’s approach with regard to the first and consecutive commitment periods of the Kyoto Protocol. Right now, public awareness of the danger of climate change is building across the country. Without doubt, the prospect of Turkey’s accession to the EU requires the harmonising of the Turkish legislation with the Acquis Communautaire. Environmentally friendly policies will be a precondition for accession and environmental issues will be addressed within the framework of the 27th negotiation Chapter.
1. See:First National Communication on Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Turkey, January 2007 and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (http://unfccc.int).
Green Steps: for full view of tables, see web link
http://www.bridge-mag.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=392&Itemid=31
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