A fund for environment
Friday, June 27, 2008
ALP SÜER
ISTANBUL – Referans
Turkey's first environmental fund, supported by the country's largest publicly traded bank, has invested in six companies that conduct environmentally sensitive activities.
Environmental problems, such as global warming and droughts in recent periods have demonstrated the importance of environmental consciousness, said Meltem Kökden, manager of İşbank Securities.
The threat has encouraged the bank to work for the future jointly with the Turkish Foundation for Reforestation, the Protection of Natural Habitats and the Combating of Soil Erosion, or TEMA, under the umbrella of the İşbank Type B Variable TEMA Environmental Fund.
The fund's initial portfolio includes TSKB, the first and largest privately owned investment and development bank in Turkey; Zorlu Energy; Turkish Automotive Factory Inc., or TOFAŞ; Aygaz, the first Koç Group Company in the Turkey energy sector; pharmaceutical company Eczacı; and Arçelik, Turkey's largest manufacturer of household appliances.
The number of companies included in the fund, which is aimed at supporting companies that conduct environmentally sensitive activities, is set to increase in the upcoming period.
The criteria for the fund
Companies that have not been penalized for environmental violations in the recent past and that are not involved in weapon and tobacco production or gold exploration activities are considered within the fund's investment strategy, said Kökden.
Next, the companies in the investment-grade pool are evaluated based on their performances on environmental issues, Kökden said. ISO14001 and its equivalent environmental management system certificates are taken into consideration, as well as the integration of environmental responsibility into production, according to Kökden's statement.
İşbank's environmental fund will support the social initiatives of investors to protect the environment, said Kökden. “A long-term and sustainable resource will be created for environmental projects.” İşbank will transfer half of the revenues attained from the fund to the TEMA Foundation, to be used for environmental projects. The fund is very attractive to investors, as it is possible to invest in the fund for a minimum of only YTL 10. This way, small investors can participate in the fund and contribute to the environment with regular investments.
Social responsibility funds are quite widespread in the United States and the European Union, amounting to $201.8 billion in the U.S. and $75.4 billion in Europe. The Calvert and Green Century Funds constitute the largest fund families in the United States.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=108351
Jun 21, 2008
Kyoto Protocol, interview with Turkey's environment minister
Environment minister: ignoring Kyoto comes at a price
Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu reaffirmed Turkey's determination to become a party to the Kyoto Protocol, stressing the big price Turkey will pay if it fails to do so.
Being a party to the protocol will add to the country's prestige, Eroğlu said, adding: "We will have no responsibility until 2012. Negotiations will be held about what will happen after 2012. We have to be a party to the protocol in order to assert our special conditions in these negotiations. Otherwise it is highly possible that we will pay a higher price in the face of increasing costs due to the increased impact of climate change and [the greater cost of] delayed measures."
Environment Minister Eroğlu spoke with Sunday's Zaman about Turkey's position with respect to the Kyoto protocol. He maintained that the ratifying the protocol will contribute positively to the international prestige of Turkey. This will even boost support to Turkey's chances of winning a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the period 2009-2010, as well as strengthening the country's hand in negotiations on environmental issues with the EU, he suggested.
Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım, also noting that the refraining from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol is not beneficial to Turkey, said: "It is senseless for Turkey not to be party to the Kyoto Protocol. Our future depends on this." Yıldırım stressed that Turkey will soon ratify the protocol. "Average [carbon] emissions, which is 11 kilograms per capita globally, is below four kilograms in Turkey. The US tops the list with 22 kilograms. Thus we can conclude that the countries that pollute the environment the most are the industrialized countries. Accordingly, they assume more responsibility," he said.
Haluk Özdalga, the head of Parliament's Environment Commission, which discussed and adopted the bill on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol drafted by the Cabinet, pointed out that the bill should be passed by Parliament before its summer recess. "After being passed by Parliament, the bill will be sent to the UN Secretariat and will enter into force after three months. If Parliament passes it before the summer recess, this will be fine and Turkey will have a chance to attend the meetings on the post-Kyoto period as an official member," he said.
Referring to criticism that joining the Kyoto Protocol will cost Turkey $20 billion, Eroğlu asserted that Turkey will assume no liability until 2012 after becoming a party to the protocol.
"Concerning the period after 2012, the parties will hold mutual negotiations in one or two years' time," he said. Eroğlu explained that work on calculating the cost of signing on is under way and that they are taking into consideration various scenarios.
"The work under a project recently launched by the relevant authorities is yet to be completed. On the other hand, in the work conducted by international organizations concerning harmonization and [carbon] emissions reduction, experts are trying to calculate the costs to the global economy. In the light of these studies, measures against climate change will introduce short-term costs to our country. Given the global aspects of climate change, long-terms policies will certainly bring active costs to the country," he said.
Eroğlu argued that becoming party to the Kyoto Protocol will have numerous advantages for Turkey, including the increased credibility of the country in the international arena as a reliable state with the determination to fight climate change as a top priority problem at home and abroad.
In addition, he added, it will contribute to the improvement of the technical capacity of the country in preparing for the post-2012 period, and it will ensure that Turkey can attend the negotiations as a proper member for the post-2012 period. "We will be able to start incentive and preventive financial measures for the use of low-carbon and high-efficiency technologies. For instance, it will make positive contributions to security of energy supply in the long term," he said.
Eroğlu stated that they are working to ensure that Turkey can attend the 4th Meeting of Protocol Parties, to be held in Ponzan, Poland, between Dec. 1-12, 2008.
Concerning the effects of Turkey's failure to be a party to the protocol, Eroğlu said: "Until now, Turkey has considered it fit to act cautiously with respect to Kyoto Protocol membership. However, today we are passing through an important and critical process. Our country did not become a party to the protocol while the protocol was being negotiated, and for this reason did not attend negotiations. This in turn led to our failure to ensure that the provisions that would take our special conditions into consideration were included in the protocol. … Now we must try to ensure that Turkey attends the negotiations concerning the post-2012 climate regime and assert its interests."
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
The UN defines the Kyoto Protocol as follows: an international agreement linked to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions .These amount to an average of 5 percent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.
The major distinction between the protocol and the UNFCCC is that while the latter encourages industrialized countries to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, the protocol commits them to doing so.
22.06.2008
News
ALİ ASLAN KILIÇ
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=145448
Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu reaffirmed Turkey's determination to become a party to the Kyoto Protocol, stressing the big price Turkey will pay if it fails to do so.
Being a party to the protocol will add to the country's prestige, Eroğlu said, adding: "We will have no responsibility until 2012. Negotiations will be held about what will happen after 2012. We have to be a party to the protocol in order to assert our special conditions in these negotiations. Otherwise it is highly possible that we will pay a higher price in the face of increasing costs due to the increased impact of climate change and [the greater cost of] delayed measures."
Environment Minister Eroğlu spoke with Sunday's Zaman about Turkey's position with respect to the Kyoto protocol. He maintained that the ratifying the protocol will contribute positively to the international prestige of Turkey. This will even boost support to Turkey's chances of winning a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the period 2009-2010, as well as strengthening the country's hand in negotiations on environmental issues with the EU, he suggested.
Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım, also noting that the refraining from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol is not beneficial to Turkey, said: "It is senseless for Turkey not to be party to the Kyoto Protocol. Our future depends on this." Yıldırım stressed that Turkey will soon ratify the protocol. "Average [carbon] emissions, which is 11 kilograms per capita globally, is below four kilograms in Turkey. The US tops the list with 22 kilograms. Thus we can conclude that the countries that pollute the environment the most are the industrialized countries. Accordingly, they assume more responsibility," he said.
Haluk Özdalga, the head of Parliament's Environment Commission, which discussed and adopted the bill on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol drafted by the Cabinet, pointed out that the bill should be passed by Parliament before its summer recess. "After being passed by Parliament, the bill will be sent to the UN Secretariat and will enter into force after three months. If Parliament passes it before the summer recess, this will be fine and Turkey will have a chance to attend the meetings on the post-Kyoto period as an official member," he said.
Referring to criticism that joining the Kyoto Protocol will cost Turkey $20 billion, Eroğlu asserted that Turkey will assume no liability until 2012 after becoming a party to the protocol.
"Concerning the period after 2012, the parties will hold mutual negotiations in one or two years' time," he said. Eroğlu explained that work on calculating the cost of signing on is under way and that they are taking into consideration various scenarios.
"The work under a project recently launched by the relevant authorities is yet to be completed. On the other hand, in the work conducted by international organizations concerning harmonization and [carbon] emissions reduction, experts are trying to calculate the costs to the global economy. In the light of these studies, measures against climate change will introduce short-term costs to our country. Given the global aspects of climate change, long-terms policies will certainly bring active costs to the country," he said.
Eroğlu argued that becoming party to the Kyoto Protocol will have numerous advantages for Turkey, including the increased credibility of the country in the international arena as a reliable state with the determination to fight climate change as a top priority problem at home and abroad.
In addition, he added, it will contribute to the improvement of the technical capacity of the country in preparing for the post-2012 period, and it will ensure that Turkey can attend the negotiations as a proper member for the post-2012 period. "We will be able to start incentive and preventive financial measures for the use of low-carbon and high-efficiency technologies. For instance, it will make positive contributions to security of energy supply in the long term," he said.
Eroğlu stated that they are working to ensure that Turkey can attend the 4th Meeting of Protocol Parties, to be held in Ponzan, Poland, between Dec. 1-12, 2008.
Concerning the effects of Turkey's failure to be a party to the protocol, Eroğlu said: "Until now, Turkey has considered it fit to act cautiously with respect to Kyoto Protocol membership. However, today we are passing through an important and critical process. Our country did not become a party to the protocol while the protocol was being negotiated, and for this reason did not attend negotiations. This in turn led to our failure to ensure that the provisions that would take our special conditions into consideration were included in the protocol. … Now we must try to ensure that Turkey attends the negotiations concerning the post-2012 climate regime and assert its interests."
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
The UN defines the Kyoto Protocol as follows: an international agreement linked to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions .These amount to an average of 5 percent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.
The major distinction between the protocol and the UNFCCC is that while the latter encourages industrialized countries to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, the protocol commits them to doing so.
22.06.2008
News
ALİ ASLAN KILIÇ
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=145448
Jun 19, 2008
Yeşil ekran, NTV
NTV’den Dünya’ya: Yeşil ekran
NTV-MSNBC
19 Haziran 2008 Perşembe
Arılar nereye kayboldu? Buğday kıtlığı kapıda mı? İçecek su bulacak mıyız? Cep telefonu beyni yakıyor mu? Hormonsuz domates var mı? TV’yi kumandadan değil düğmeden kapatsak dünya kurtulur mu? NTV çevre sorunlarıyla başedebilmek için “yeşil ekran”ı açıyor.
İSTANBUL - Etrafımızı kuşatan çevre sorunlarıyla başedebilmek için NTV’nin “Yeşil Ekran”ı Temmuz’da yayına başlıyor. Yeşil Ekran, küresel ısınmadan inorganik gıdalara, çöp arıtmadan göç sorununa, karbon salınımından elektromanyetik kirliliğe tüm sorunlar karşısında yaşam rehberi olacak. Bunların yanında haber bültenlerinde özel dosyalar, organik yemek tariflerinden çevreci tatillere mini programlar, yeşil belgesel kuşağı, yeşile adanmış yapımlar, doğal olarak NTV’nin “yeşil ekran”ında yer alacak. Haberin devamı
NTV’nin Yeşil Ekranı’na Doğuş Yayın Grubu’nun tüm mecraları tam destek verecek. CNBC-e’de çevreci şirketler, dünyayı kurtarmanın maliyeti ve sinemanın en seçkin çevreci filmleri, Radyo Eksen ve Billboard Radio’da çevreci müzisyenler ve şarkıları, EVO’da çevreci otomobiller, NTVMSNBC’den web sayfası yesil.ntvmsnbc.com ...
DÜNYANIN KURTARILACAĞI SAATLER
Temmuz’da başlayacak özel yayınlarda “Dünyanın kurtarılacağı saatler belli oldu! Esra Sert’in sunacağı çevreci yaşam klavuzu “Yeşil Rehber”, her gün saat 11.10’da ekrana gelecek. NTV Haber Merkezi’nin Türkiye’nin her yanından çevre sorunlarını derlediği haber program “Yeşil Haberci” her gün saat 15.10’da, “Yeşil Belgeseller Kuşağı” 20.30’da izlenebilecek. Tüm haber bültenlerinde özel dosyalar, organik yemek tariflerinden çevreci tatillere, arkeolojik kazılardan başarı öykülerine mini programlar, yeşile adanmış yapımlar yayınlanacak.
Ayrıca bilgi bandında çevre ve ekosistemle ilgili faydalı bilgiler aktarılacak. Tüm DYG TV ve radyolarında da çevreyle ilgili ilgi çekici istatistikler, çarpıcı gerçekler ve çok kolay uygulanabilecek çevresel davranışlardan örnekleri anlatan kısa dosyalar ekrana gelecek. Denizlerimizin kirlilik oranı, barajlardaki son durum, havadaki oksijen oranı, en yüksek ve düşük sıcaklıklar gibi günlük yaşamımız ilgilendiren kısa bilgi notları da bilgi ekranında yer alacak.
ÜNLÜLER ÇEVREYİ KURTARACAK
NTV’nin başarılı anchormanlerinin yanı sıra, ünlü isimler özel programlarla ekranda olacak. Esra Sert, “Yeşil Rehber” ve “Yeşil Haberci”yi, Oğuz Haksever, ekoloji konulu tartışma programını, Celal Pir her akşam “Yakın Plan”, Burçak Önder “Ekolojik Ekonomi” yayınlarını sunacak.
ÇEVRE BELGESELLERİ KUŞAĞI VE ÇEVRE FİLMLERİ
NTV’nin “Yeşil Ekranı”nda her akşam 20.30’da “Çevre Belgeselleri Kuşağı”ı var. Belgeseller, çöp arıtmadan göç sorununa her konuda bilgi sahibi yapacak. CNBC-e’de çevre konulu filmler ekrana gelecek.
DERGİLERDEN ÖZEL ÇEVRE EKLERİ
National Geographic, CNBC-e Business, Evo başta olmak üzere Doğuş Yayın Grubu dergilerinde çevre temalı ekler hazırlanacak.
YEŞİL MÜZİSYENLER, ÇEVRECİ ŞARKILAR
Bu programların&haberlerin tamamı NTV Radyo’dan aynı anda yayınlanacak. NTV Radyo ayrıca “Türkiye’de Çevreciliğin Sesli Tarihi”ni anlatacak, küresel gerçekleri bir kez daha dillendirecek, “Halkın Sesi” çevreyi ele alacak. Radyo Eksen ve Billboard Radio ise “yeşil müzisyenler”in “çevreci şarkılar”ını yayınlayacak.
ÇEVREYE DUYARLI WEB SİTESİ
NTVMSNBC, projeyle ilgili tüm haberleri ve gelişmeleri yesil.ntvmsnbc.com adresinde okuyucusu ile paylaşacak, okuyucu görüşlerine yer verecek.
© 2006 NTVMSNBC.com
URL: http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/news/450573.asp
NTV-MSNBC
19 Haziran 2008 Perşembe
Arılar nereye kayboldu? Buğday kıtlığı kapıda mı? İçecek su bulacak mıyız? Cep telefonu beyni yakıyor mu? Hormonsuz domates var mı? TV’yi kumandadan değil düğmeden kapatsak dünya kurtulur mu? NTV çevre sorunlarıyla başedebilmek için “yeşil ekran”ı açıyor.
İSTANBUL - Etrafımızı kuşatan çevre sorunlarıyla başedebilmek için NTV’nin “Yeşil Ekran”ı Temmuz’da yayına başlıyor. Yeşil Ekran, küresel ısınmadan inorganik gıdalara, çöp arıtmadan göç sorununa, karbon salınımından elektromanyetik kirliliğe tüm sorunlar karşısında yaşam rehberi olacak. Bunların yanında haber bültenlerinde özel dosyalar, organik yemek tariflerinden çevreci tatillere mini programlar, yeşil belgesel kuşağı, yeşile adanmış yapımlar, doğal olarak NTV’nin “yeşil ekran”ında yer alacak. Haberin devamı
NTV’nin Yeşil Ekranı’na Doğuş Yayın Grubu’nun tüm mecraları tam destek verecek. CNBC-e’de çevreci şirketler, dünyayı kurtarmanın maliyeti ve sinemanın en seçkin çevreci filmleri, Radyo Eksen ve Billboard Radio’da çevreci müzisyenler ve şarkıları, EVO’da çevreci otomobiller, NTVMSNBC’den web sayfası yesil.ntvmsnbc.com ...
DÜNYANIN KURTARILACAĞI SAATLER
Temmuz’da başlayacak özel yayınlarda “Dünyanın kurtarılacağı saatler belli oldu! Esra Sert’in sunacağı çevreci yaşam klavuzu “Yeşil Rehber”, her gün saat 11.10’da ekrana gelecek. NTV Haber Merkezi’nin Türkiye’nin her yanından çevre sorunlarını derlediği haber program “Yeşil Haberci” her gün saat 15.10’da, “Yeşil Belgeseller Kuşağı” 20.30’da izlenebilecek. Tüm haber bültenlerinde özel dosyalar, organik yemek tariflerinden çevreci tatillere, arkeolojik kazılardan başarı öykülerine mini programlar, yeşile adanmış yapımlar yayınlanacak.
Ayrıca bilgi bandında çevre ve ekosistemle ilgili faydalı bilgiler aktarılacak. Tüm DYG TV ve radyolarında da çevreyle ilgili ilgi çekici istatistikler, çarpıcı gerçekler ve çok kolay uygulanabilecek çevresel davranışlardan örnekleri anlatan kısa dosyalar ekrana gelecek. Denizlerimizin kirlilik oranı, barajlardaki son durum, havadaki oksijen oranı, en yüksek ve düşük sıcaklıklar gibi günlük yaşamımız ilgilendiren kısa bilgi notları da bilgi ekranında yer alacak.
ÜNLÜLER ÇEVREYİ KURTARACAK
NTV’nin başarılı anchormanlerinin yanı sıra, ünlü isimler özel programlarla ekranda olacak. Esra Sert, “Yeşil Rehber” ve “Yeşil Haberci”yi, Oğuz Haksever, ekoloji konulu tartışma programını, Celal Pir her akşam “Yakın Plan”, Burçak Önder “Ekolojik Ekonomi” yayınlarını sunacak.
ÇEVRE BELGESELLERİ KUŞAĞI VE ÇEVRE FİLMLERİ
NTV’nin “Yeşil Ekranı”nda her akşam 20.30’da “Çevre Belgeselleri Kuşağı”ı var. Belgeseller, çöp arıtmadan göç sorununa her konuda bilgi sahibi yapacak. CNBC-e’de çevre konulu filmler ekrana gelecek.
DERGİLERDEN ÖZEL ÇEVRE EKLERİ
National Geographic, CNBC-e Business, Evo başta olmak üzere Doğuş Yayın Grubu dergilerinde çevre temalı ekler hazırlanacak.
YEŞİL MÜZİSYENLER, ÇEVRECİ ŞARKILAR
Bu programların&haberlerin tamamı NTV Radyo’dan aynı anda yayınlanacak. NTV Radyo ayrıca “Türkiye’de Çevreciliğin Sesli Tarihi”ni anlatacak, küresel gerçekleri bir kez daha dillendirecek, “Halkın Sesi” çevreyi ele alacak. Radyo Eksen ve Billboard Radio ise “yeşil müzisyenler”in “çevreci şarkılar”ını yayınlayacak.
ÇEVREYE DUYARLI WEB SİTESİ
NTVMSNBC, projeyle ilgili tüm haberleri ve gelişmeleri yesil.ntvmsnbc.com adresinde okuyucusu ile paylaşacak, okuyucu görüşlerine yer verecek.
© 2006 NTVMSNBC.com
URL: http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/news/450573.asp
Green Getaways, Eco-Tourism in Turkey
The Turkish Daily News has scoped out a handful of family getaways off the beaten path to suit everyone from wholesome beachcombers to thrill-seekers. Stay on seaside farms serving food grown on the property and kayak to underwater
KRISTEN STEVENS
The kids' legs are bouncing up and down as long hot summer days are already wearing on you. The city, the neighborhood and the neighbor are messing with your head. It's time to plan an escape route – one the kids will love enough to let you recline.When fleeing the noise and stress of city living, more and more people are considering ways to give back to the land and local economy as a natural extension of the relaxation they seek. Eco-tourism has quickly become a fundamental element of the travel industry, growing by 20 to 30 per cent every year since the 1990s, according to the International Eco-tourism Society. In the last few years, it has grown three times as fast as regular tourism. This is Turkey, a garden of holiday choices. Where to turn for a place that isn't more of the same: crowds, heat, buildings and asphalt? Finding alternative seaside villages and hillside hideaways calls for a little common sense and research. Below are some that please both locals and guests.
Local comfort, the Lycian way
With a pioneering attitude, Gürbüz and Anthea host guests of the Black Tree Farm Cottages with charm and environmental savvy. Set high in a village 12 km south of the Ölüdeniz resort in the foothills of Babadağ, a restored 18th century farmhouse and charming cottages make the most of Lycia's breathtaking Mediterranean beauty. Beneath these limestone heights crouch deserted coves, once anchorage for pilgrims en route to the Holy Land. The nine cottages sleep from 2-7 people and have fully equipped open-plan kitchens. Individual patios give way to fields and horizons that meet the sea. The communal farmhouse is used by passing hikers and kids who prefer some freedom from their parents – or vice versa. With horses, mountain bikes or ponies to ride, children's video room, rabbits and geese, the place appeals to families especially. Kitchen gardens supply the bar and restaurant (open all day) with organic vegetables, and the menu is child-friendly. Local Lycian sites of Xanthos, Pinara, Letoon and Tlos are all within easy reach. Several isolated beaches are below and a 2-hour walk winds down to Butterfly Valley by way of Ölüdeniz.
The pottery room provides local clay and the use of an authentic Turkish pottery wheel. An old Turkish bath has been fully restored and the tennis court is new. The farm uses totally organic products and burns most of the refuse, which in turn heats the water.
Getting there
Thirty minutes south of the Ölüdeniz resort, Black Tree Farm Cottage Holidays is 2 hours from Dalaman airport / Ölüdeniz, Fethiye (0252) 617 0045 www.blacktree.net
Set sail on a “green” cruise
A little further south in the Mediterranean town of Kaş it is a simple matter to charter a gulet, a traditional wooden sailing boat. The captain charts your course and meals are prepared for you, leaving plenty of time for visiting local fishing villages and swimming in quiet bays. By joining a group sail, families can share costs and make new friends.
Getting there
Eco-friendly company Responsible Travel connects only with sailing outfits that care for the environment and local people. A typical 7-day trip includes flying into Dalyan and kayaking near Kaş; taking a glass-bottomed boat to Kekova and a jeep trip into countryside; and a sailing on a gulet. www.responsibletravel.com
Responsible Travel
From “green” resorts to adventure treks, Responsible Travel offers dozens of other high quality holidays in Turkey for families. The UK-based organization has a mission to provide holidays that support local people and the environment. A pioneer in responsible tourism, the company supports international charities working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and their ecosystem.
Yuva Eco Holiday Center
Yuva means home or nest in Turkish, and Atilla refers to his family-run Yuva Eco Holiday Center as a ‘nest' of sustainable living, combining traditional lifestyles, organic gardening, renewable energy, environmentally conscious tourism and healing arts. The nearby Ölüdeniz Lagoon contains enzymes believed to contain healing properties. Vegetarian meals recover flavors and aromas of traditional country cuisine prepared by cooks from different regions of Turkey. Family week includes holistic yoga, dance and nutrition – from July 28 to August 4. All summer guests can take part in yoga classes free of charge on a platform built over the sea. Come nightfall, the Milky Way lights up the sky.
Getting there
Located in the village of Faralya, 14km from the town of Fethiye. The nearest Airport is Dalaman (one and half-hours). +44 (0)1760 755888 yuva@vegiventures.com www.yuvaholidays.com
Pastoral Valley Organic Eco Farm
Pioneering eco-tourism on his organic farm, Ahmet Kezin, an architect-environmentalist, provides simple but attractive cabins, several made from the local adobe-style mud brick. In Yanıklar Village near Fethiye, the farm occupies 42,000 sq.m. in a valley surrounded by pine forests and bordering a river. All foods not actually grown on our farm are sourced from other local growers. If guests wish they can be involved in work on the farm, or take part in workshops based on local culture and handicrafts like kilim weaving, simple clay pottery making, basket making or producing a range of traditional preserves such as jams and pickles. Kids can learn to bake bread or börek. All food, drinks and snacks plus anything created in the free workshops is included in the single price of accommodation.
Yoga and tree house workshops for kids
The shady "tree house" is the workshop where kids build totums, kites and model planes and paint or read. All summer, guests can participate in basic Yoga exercises free of charge.
It's located in the Kocabük district of Yaniklar, 40 km. from Dalaman Airport. Minibuses run from Fethiye to Yaniklar every 15 minutes. Pastoral Valley is 3 km. from the center of the village. Yemisli Mah. Kocabük Mevki, Yaniklar Köyü, 48300 Fethiye / Muğla / (0252) 633 6627 www.pastoralvadi.com info@pastoralvadi.com
Yonca Lodge
Set in an orchard in Yaniklar, Yonca Lodge is a family-owned pension fronted by a beach. They also serve organic vegetarian food. As part of a village-wide effort to boost eco-tourism, locals and tourists are encouraged to preserve the natural environment and pension guests are free to take part in activities at the Pastoral Valley farm. Yaniklar Köyü / Fethiye (0252) 633 6177 www.yoncalodge.com
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107629
KRISTEN STEVENS
The kids' legs are bouncing up and down as long hot summer days are already wearing on you. The city, the neighborhood and the neighbor are messing with your head. It's time to plan an escape route – one the kids will love enough to let you recline.When fleeing the noise and stress of city living, more and more people are considering ways to give back to the land and local economy as a natural extension of the relaxation they seek. Eco-tourism has quickly become a fundamental element of the travel industry, growing by 20 to 30 per cent every year since the 1990s, according to the International Eco-tourism Society. In the last few years, it has grown three times as fast as regular tourism. This is Turkey, a garden of holiday choices. Where to turn for a place that isn't more of the same: crowds, heat, buildings and asphalt? Finding alternative seaside villages and hillside hideaways calls for a little common sense and research. Below are some that please both locals and guests.
Local comfort, the Lycian way
With a pioneering attitude, Gürbüz and Anthea host guests of the Black Tree Farm Cottages with charm and environmental savvy. Set high in a village 12 km south of the Ölüdeniz resort in the foothills of Babadağ, a restored 18th century farmhouse and charming cottages make the most of Lycia's breathtaking Mediterranean beauty. Beneath these limestone heights crouch deserted coves, once anchorage for pilgrims en route to the Holy Land. The nine cottages sleep from 2-7 people and have fully equipped open-plan kitchens. Individual patios give way to fields and horizons that meet the sea. The communal farmhouse is used by passing hikers and kids who prefer some freedom from their parents – or vice versa. With horses, mountain bikes or ponies to ride, children's video room, rabbits and geese, the place appeals to families especially. Kitchen gardens supply the bar and restaurant (open all day) with organic vegetables, and the menu is child-friendly. Local Lycian sites of Xanthos, Pinara, Letoon and Tlos are all within easy reach. Several isolated beaches are below and a 2-hour walk winds down to Butterfly Valley by way of Ölüdeniz.
The pottery room provides local clay and the use of an authentic Turkish pottery wheel. An old Turkish bath has been fully restored and the tennis court is new. The farm uses totally organic products and burns most of the refuse, which in turn heats the water.
Getting there
Thirty minutes south of the Ölüdeniz resort, Black Tree Farm Cottage Holidays is 2 hours from Dalaman airport / Ölüdeniz, Fethiye (0252) 617 0045 www.blacktree.net
Set sail on a “green” cruise
A little further south in the Mediterranean town of Kaş it is a simple matter to charter a gulet, a traditional wooden sailing boat. The captain charts your course and meals are prepared for you, leaving plenty of time for visiting local fishing villages and swimming in quiet bays. By joining a group sail, families can share costs and make new friends.
Getting there
Eco-friendly company Responsible Travel connects only with sailing outfits that care for the environment and local people. A typical 7-day trip includes flying into Dalyan and kayaking near Kaş; taking a glass-bottomed boat to Kekova and a jeep trip into countryside; and a sailing on a gulet. www.responsibletravel.com
Responsible Travel
From “green” resorts to adventure treks, Responsible Travel offers dozens of other high quality holidays in Turkey for families. The UK-based organization has a mission to provide holidays that support local people and the environment. A pioneer in responsible tourism, the company supports international charities working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and their ecosystem.
Yuva Eco Holiday Center
Yuva means home or nest in Turkish, and Atilla refers to his family-run Yuva Eco Holiday Center as a ‘nest' of sustainable living, combining traditional lifestyles, organic gardening, renewable energy, environmentally conscious tourism and healing arts. The nearby Ölüdeniz Lagoon contains enzymes believed to contain healing properties. Vegetarian meals recover flavors and aromas of traditional country cuisine prepared by cooks from different regions of Turkey. Family week includes holistic yoga, dance and nutrition – from July 28 to August 4. All summer guests can take part in yoga classes free of charge on a platform built over the sea. Come nightfall, the Milky Way lights up the sky.
Getting there
Located in the village of Faralya, 14km from the town of Fethiye. The nearest Airport is Dalaman (one and half-hours). +44 (0)1760 755888 yuva@vegiventures.com www.yuvaholidays.com
Pastoral Valley Organic Eco Farm
Pioneering eco-tourism on his organic farm, Ahmet Kezin, an architect-environmentalist, provides simple but attractive cabins, several made from the local adobe-style mud brick. In Yanıklar Village near Fethiye, the farm occupies 42,000 sq.m. in a valley surrounded by pine forests and bordering a river. All foods not actually grown on our farm are sourced from other local growers. If guests wish they can be involved in work on the farm, or take part in workshops based on local culture and handicrafts like kilim weaving, simple clay pottery making, basket making or producing a range of traditional preserves such as jams and pickles. Kids can learn to bake bread or börek. All food, drinks and snacks plus anything created in the free workshops is included in the single price of accommodation.
Yoga and tree house workshops for kids
The shady "tree house" is the workshop where kids build totums, kites and model planes and paint or read. All summer, guests can participate in basic Yoga exercises free of charge.
It's located in the Kocabük district of Yaniklar, 40 km. from Dalaman Airport. Minibuses run from Fethiye to Yaniklar every 15 minutes. Pastoral Valley is 3 km. from the center of the village. Yemisli Mah. Kocabük Mevki, Yaniklar Köyü, 48300 Fethiye / Muğla / (0252) 633 6627 www.pastoralvadi.com info@pastoralvadi.com
Yonca Lodge
Set in an orchard in Yaniklar, Yonca Lodge is a family-owned pension fronted by a beach. They also serve organic vegetarian food. As part of a village-wide effort to boost eco-tourism, locals and tourists are encouraged to preserve the natural environment and pension guests are free to take part in activities at the Pastoral Valley farm. Yaniklar Köyü / Fethiye (0252) 633 6177 www.yoncalodge.com
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107629
Greening Turkey through environmental oversight committees like Mavi Yol
Activists initiate legal campaign against hotel construction
Thursday, June 19, 2008
YAŞAR ANTERMUĞLA – Doğan News Agency
Environmentalists said yesterday they will take a company that dumped excess sand from a hotel construction site into the sea to court after the offending firm was given an additional year to complete the clean up project.
The Mavi Yol, or Blue Path, environmental organization, which represents close to 40 groups, has decided to initiate a legal battle to have the whole hotel project cancelled.
A day before the deadline given to MNG Holding to remove the sand from the Pina Peninsula in the Gulf of Güllük, the company was given a year to remedy the violation, said Mavi Yol spokeswoman Filiz Dizdar.
Bodrum Chamber of Trade President Gündüz Nalbantoğlu said many of the beaches and forests on the Mediterranean and Aegean coast are under attack from indiscriminate corporate dumping.
“If a plastic bag or some garbage is dumped by a boat, it gets a fine of YTL 5,000. However, companies that dump tons of waste and building materials receive insignificant fines and are rewarded with more time,” he said.
The company was given 85,000 square meters of land on the Pina Peninsula in 2006 in order to build a five star hotel with a 1,200-bed capacity. According to reports, the company then dumped excess earth from its construction site into the sea, apparently to build three piers on the beach because the sea was not suitable for swimming.
After the matter was taken up by newspapers, the local administrator suspended the dumping of earth and fined the company YTL 21,000. The company now has a year to get the necessary permission to continue construction of the hotel.
Dizdar said his group plans to wage a legal fight to annul the decision to open the Pina Peninsula to tourism and to allow a delay in the removal of the landfill.
“We will fight to ensure that the company that ruined the forest and the sea will end its presence in the region,” she said.
Warriors of Nature spokesman Zafer Murat Çetinbaş said the destruction of the natural environment near Bodrum could not have occurred without the knowledge of state officials.
A member of the Bodrum Citizens' Initiative, lawyer Ahmet Aksüt, said, “No one should doubt that the company will get the necessary license and build restaurants and hotel in the middle of the sea. Even Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay will be present in the opening ceremony. However, these people who ignore the law will definitely answer for their deeds in front of the court.”
He said a legal victory for environmental groups would pave the way for more campaigns against companies and civil servants who ignore such scandalous behavior.
When the issue first made headlines, the coordinator of the project for MGN, Sinan Karaağaçlı, was recorded as saying, “We filled the sea. We are a huge company and will get the permission afterwards. You know how things work in Turkey,” when asked about the matter while he was accepting an award from the local administrator for MNG's contribution to tourism.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107603
Thursday, June 19, 2008
YAŞAR ANTERMUĞLA – Doğan News Agency
Environmentalists said yesterday they will take a company that dumped excess sand from a hotel construction site into the sea to court after the offending firm was given an additional year to complete the clean up project.
The Mavi Yol, or Blue Path, environmental organization, which represents close to 40 groups, has decided to initiate a legal battle to have the whole hotel project cancelled.
A day before the deadline given to MNG Holding to remove the sand from the Pina Peninsula in the Gulf of Güllük, the company was given a year to remedy the violation, said Mavi Yol spokeswoman Filiz Dizdar.
Bodrum Chamber of Trade President Gündüz Nalbantoğlu said many of the beaches and forests on the Mediterranean and Aegean coast are under attack from indiscriminate corporate dumping.
“If a plastic bag or some garbage is dumped by a boat, it gets a fine of YTL 5,000. However, companies that dump tons of waste and building materials receive insignificant fines and are rewarded with more time,” he said.
The company was given 85,000 square meters of land on the Pina Peninsula in 2006 in order to build a five star hotel with a 1,200-bed capacity. According to reports, the company then dumped excess earth from its construction site into the sea, apparently to build three piers on the beach because the sea was not suitable for swimming.
After the matter was taken up by newspapers, the local administrator suspended the dumping of earth and fined the company YTL 21,000. The company now has a year to get the necessary permission to continue construction of the hotel.
Dizdar said his group plans to wage a legal fight to annul the decision to open the Pina Peninsula to tourism and to allow a delay in the removal of the landfill.
“We will fight to ensure that the company that ruined the forest and the sea will end its presence in the region,” she said.
Warriors of Nature spokesman Zafer Murat Çetinbaş said the destruction of the natural environment near Bodrum could not have occurred without the knowledge of state officials.
A member of the Bodrum Citizens' Initiative, lawyer Ahmet Aksüt, said, “No one should doubt that the company will get the necessary license and build restaurants and hotel in the middle of the sea. Even Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay will be present in the opening ceremony. However, these people who ignore the law will definitely answer for their deeds in front of the court.”
He said a legal victory for environmental groups would pave the way for more campaigns against companies and civil servants who ignore such scandalous behavior.
When the issue first made headlines, the coordinator of the project for MGN, Sinan Karaağaçlı, was recorded as saying, “We filled the sea. We are a huge company and will get the permission afterwards. You know how things work in Turkey,” when asked about the matter while he was accepting an award from the local administrator for MNG's contribution to tourism.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107603
Energy-saving lights & the Osram Student Illumination Movement
Osram campaigns for energy savings
Thursday, June 19, 2008
MÜGE ÖZBAĞISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
Not only the commercial gain, but also the global social mission and raising of consciousness about climate change in consumers' minds are important issues, said Erol Kırılmaz, one of the youngest country managers of lighting equipment producer Osram.
In an interview with the Turkish Daily News, the 36-year-old executive urged wider utilization of energy-saving lamps, saying this is one of the ways in which people could shoulder this social responsibility. “By buying these lamps, the consumer can secure up to 80 percent energy savings and do something to protect the environment at the same time.” Under the directives of the young chief executive officer, who is quite convinced that the road to increase consciousness can only be pawed through reaching out to children, Osram started a social education project called the “Osram Student Illumination Movement” on its 100th anniversary in 2006.
The movement was founded on the basis of improving educational conditions such as the lighting quality in classrooms located in Anatolia. Another focus of the project was the cognitive “illumination,” intended to educate children on climate change and global warming topics. The Illumination Project addresses children through a video and a magazine, in which a polar bear explains global warming. “What can I do to reduce global warming?” is the crucial question raised by the products. “The kids have shown great interest in the topic,” said Kırılmaz.
The Osram Project team, which traveled 6,000 kilometers from Eskişehir, to Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Malatya and Kayseri, has reached nearly 5,000 children and handed out more than 50,000 informational pamphlets. The company aims to reach more than 1,000 schools in east and southeast Anatolia. The interest in schools is high, said Kırılmaz and added the project will continue through this year.
Energy-saving lamps constitute an important portion of Osram's revenue, however there is further energy-saving potential, said Kırılmaz. For example, the new light-emitting diode, or LED technology and the Osram Halogen Energy Saver products provide alternative illumination scenarios consuming 30 percent less energy than normal incandescent lamps, he added.Some 100 million household lamps are sold in Turkey each year and 30 million of them are energy-saving lamps. Although traditional lighting is still widely used in the country, Kırılmaz said there is a good chance of expanding the market of energy-saving lamps and modern lighting systems. “The interest and the consciousness to save money and do something against global warming at the same time is very distinct and continues to grow. The urgency to take on some responsibility rests on everybody's shoulders. There is no escaping that,” he said.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107194
Thursday, June 19, 2008
MÜGE ÖZBAĞISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
Not only the commercial gain, but also the global social mission and raising of consciousness about climate change in consumers' minds are important issues, said Erol Kırılmaz, one of the youngest country managers of lighting equipment producer Osram.
In an interview with the Turkish Daily News, the 36-year-old executive urged wider utilization of energy-saving lamps, saying this is one of the ways in which people could shoulder this social responsibility. “By buying these lamps, the consumer can secure up to 80 percent energy savings and do something to protect the environment at the same time.” Under the directives of the young chief executive officer, who is quite convinced that the road to increase consciousness can only be pawed through reaching out to children, Osram started a social education project called the “Osram Student Illumination Movement” on its 100th anniversary in 2006.
The movement was founded on the basis of improving educational conditions such as the lighting quality in classrooms located in Anatolia. Another focus of the project was the cognitive “illumination,” intended to educate children on climate change and global warming topics. The Illumination Project addresses children through a video and a magazine, in which a polar bear explains global warming. “What can I do to reduce global warming?” is the crucial question raised by the products. “The kids have shown great interest in the topic,” said Kırılmaz.
The Osram Project team, which traveled 6,000 kilometers from Eskişehir, to Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Malatya and Kayseri, has reached nearly 5,000 children and handed out more than 50,000 informational pamphlets. The company aims to reach more than 1,000 schools in east and southeast Anatolia. The interest in schools is high, said Kırılmaz and added the project will continue through this year.
Energy-saving lamps constitute an important portion of Osram's revenue, however there is further energy-saving potential, said Kırılmaz. For example, the new light-emitting diode, or LED technology and the Osram Halogen Energy Saver products provide alternative illumination scenarios consuming 30 percent less energy than normal incandescent lamps, he added.Some 100 million household lamps are sold in Turkey each year and 30 million of them are energy-saving lamps. Although traditional lighting is still widely used in the country, Kırılmaz said there is a good chance of expanding the market of energy-saving lamps and modern lighting systems. “The interest and the consciousness to save money and do something against global warming at the same time is very distinct and continues to grow. The urgency to take on some responsibility rests on everybody's shoulders. There is no escaping that,” he said.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107194
Jun 13, 2008
Solar power in Turkish homes
Turkey requires homes to generate solar power
Friday, June 13, 2008
ISTANBUL - Bloomberg
Turkey is preparing draft legislation that would require homeowners and businesses to install solar panels or batteries to cover 10 percent of what they consume and meet European Union standards, Milliyet said today.
Turkey could produce 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, Soner Aksoy, head of the Parliament's Commission on Industry, Trade, Energy and Technology, told the newspaper. Aksoy is preparing the renewable-energy law on the use of solar, wind, geothermal and biogas power generation, it said.
The law would require homes, apartment buildings and businesses to use panels to heat water and photovoltaic batteries to produce power, Aksoy said. It will also include price incentives for solar power generation for five years, he said.
Turkiye Vakiflar Bankasi TAO, a state-run bank, and the Energy Ministry are discussing long-term loans to help homeowners and apartment managers insulate homes to save up to 40 percent of the energy houses waste, Milliyet said, citing Aksoy.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107131
Friday, June 13, 2008
ISTANBUL - Bloomberg
Turkey is preparing draft legislation that would require homeowners and businesses to install solar panels or batteries to cover 10 percent of what they consume and meet European Union standards, Milliyet said today.
Turkey could produce 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, Soner Aksoy, head of the Parliament's Commission on Industry, Trade, Energy and Technology, told the newspaper. Aksoy is preparing the renewable-energy law on the use of solar, wind, geothermal and biogas power generation, it said.
The law would require homes, apartment buildings and businesses to use panels to heat water and photovoltaic batteries to produce power, Aksoy said. It will also include price incentives for solar power generation for five years, he said.
Turkiye Vakiflar Bankasi TAO, a state-run bank, and the Energy Ministry are discussing long-term loans to help homeowners and apartment managers insulate homes to save up to 40 percent of the energy houses waste, Milliyet said, citing Aksoy.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107131
Sustainable housing in Istanbul
Demand for sustainable housing increases
Friday, June 13, 2008
MELTEM KARAISTANBUL – Hürriyet
The number of construction projects in the country seeking harmony with nature and offering a sustainable lifestyle with more efficient energy and water usage is gradually increasing.
The new projects include the Doğan subsidiary Milpa Group's Milpark Konutları in Istanbul's Esenyurt district; Propa İnşaat's Sarıyer Park; Soyak's Mavişehir project; A-Z Yapı's Meritlife Kent; Doğa Real Estate Agency's Emirgan Evleri, Selenium Country and Doğa Meşepark projects; Teknik Yapı's Dilman Towers; and Sinpaş's Lagün project.
Thanks to savings of 250,000 tons of water a day, the Milpark Konutları project could save as much as 50 percent in water consumption annually. Meanwhile, Propa İnşaat has installed solar panels in its Sarıyer Park project to increase energy savings while still creating a luminous atmosphere in the building. Additionally Turkish construction company Soyak has implemented an insulation system and double insulated glass panes in its Mavişehir project. Turkish construction company A-Z Yapı distinguishes domestic solid waste such as paper, plastic, glass, tin from biological waste.
Companies are showing concern about the future of natural resources because 30 percent of the country's resources have been exhausted in the last 30 years, posing a threat to the future of construction sector because of the industry's heavy reliance on natural resources. It is, therefore, expected that the issue of environmental sustainability will show up much more frequently in new construction projects.
Sustainable housing
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment, ensuring that these needs can be met not only in the present but also into the future. The sector requires more financing to construct sustainable housing projects due to the higher price of materials, infrastructure costs and the land-use ratio. It is estimated, however, that the high cost of sustainable housing construction will decline in line with a rise in the number of such projects.
Many consumers are becoming conscious of the dire situation of the environment, and are showing an increasing preference for purchasing sustainable houses. Sustainable housing reduces costs and water usage, and offers improved security.
Meanwhile, housing investors, though willing to launch nature-sensitive projects, are a bit hesitant about the future of the sustainable housing sector given the high costs associated with it.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107127
Friday, June 13, 2008
MELTEM KARAISTANBUL – Hürriyet
The number of construction projects in the country seeking harmony with nature and offering a sustainable lifestyle with more efficient energy and water usage is gradually increasing.
The new projects include the Doğan subsidiary Milpa Group's Milpark Konutları in Istanbul's Esenyurt district; Propa İnşaat's Sarıyer Park; Soyak's Mavişehir project; A-Z Yapı's Meritlife Kent; Doğa Real Estate Agency's Emirgan Evleri, Selenium Country and Doğa Meşepark projects; Teknik Yapı's Dilman Towers; and Sinpaş's Lagün project.
Thanks to savings of 250,000 tons of water a day, the Milpark Konutları project could save as much as 50 percent in water consumption annually. Meanwhile, Propa İnşaat has installed solar panels in its Sarıyer Park project to increase energy savings while still creating a luminous atmosphere in the building. Additionally Turkish construction company Soyak has implemented an insulation system and double insulated glass panes in its Mavişehir project. Turkish construction company A-Z Yapı distinguishes domestic solid waste such as paper, plastic, glass, tin from biological waste.
Companies are showing concern about the future of natural resources because 30 percent of the country's resources have been exhausted in the last 30 years, posing a threat to the future of construction sector because of the industry's heavy reliance on natural resources. It is, therefore, expected that the issue of environmental sustainability will show up much more frequently in new construction projects.
Sustainable housing
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment, ensuring that these needs can be met not only in the present but also into the future. The sector requires more financing to construct sustainable housing projects due to the higher price of materials, infrastructure costs and the land-use ratio. It is estimated, however, that the high cost of sustainable housing construction will decline in line with a rise in the number of such projects.
Many consumers are becoming conscious of the dire situation of the environment, and are showing an increasing preference for purchasing sustainable houses. Sustainable housing reduces costs and water usage, and offers improved security.
Meanwhile, housing investors, though willing to launch nature-sensitive projects, are a bit hesitant about the future of the sustainable housing sector given the high costs associated with it.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107127
Jun 11, 2008
Green Party in Turkey
Turkish Greens to establish a new political party
The Greens of Turkey, who have struggled to establish their movement in Turkey since the 1980s, will seek to become a political party at the end of this month, with a platform based upon environmental principles and direct democracy.
This will be the second effort of the Greens to set up a political party; the first came in 1988 and was successful, but the party was closed down in 1994 by the Constitutional Court due to irregularities in the party budget.
In an interview with Today’s Zaman, Greens spokesman Ümit Tahin said the organizational structure of the party will be different from others. “We will of course fulfill the requirements of the Law on Political Parties, but we will have our own rules, such as a 50 percent quota of women members and rotation of party officials. We will not have a leader, but rather one man and one woman spokesperson,” Tahin noted.
The Greens of Turkey, even before becoming a political party, were accepted as an observer in the European Green Parties Council in 2005.
The Greens of Turkey have the same platform as many other global Greens -- ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, decentralization, community-based economics, feminism, respect for diversity, global responsibility and future focus.
In their party program, detailed on their Web site, the Greens of Turkey claim that wars were started in order to control water and oil resources in the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia, while Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq were occupied and Turkey is in the middle of all these problems; thus, they say, international politics based on regional cooperation, peace and friendship is necessary. The Greens of Turkey have pledged to cooperate with the Greens of the world to overcome these problems and not to act on the basis of nationalism.
According to the Greens, Turkey is suffering from human rights violations, military coups and social injustice, all stemming from an authoritarian approach to governing.
The Greens note that their movement began based on civil society organizations but that in recent years the concept of civil society organizations has been abused. The Greens say they will derive their power from real civil society organizations that are working for democracy.
The Greens define the existing Constitution as a product of the 1980 military coup and demand that a new, shorter constitution be created that focuses on basic rights. According to the Greens all types of interference in democratic politics should be banned. They note that the new constitution should emphasize that the freedoms of citizens should not be restricted in the interest of the state. They would also like to see restrictions on and civil monitoring of military expenditures along with the abolishment of the National Security Council (MGK). The Greens also want Turkey to withdraw from NATO, the Americans to be prevented from using İncirlik Air Base and the complete demilitarization of Cyprus. When it comes to the EU the Greens are in favor of continuing with the country’s accession negotiations but pledge to work for an EU based on Green principles.
Regarding the Kurdish question the Greens propose that Turkey must confront the mistakes of the past and recognize the Kurdish identity.
The Greens will discuss the details of the party’s bylaws on June 21 during a meeting in İstanbul.
11.06.2008
News
AYŞE KARABAT
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=144502
Yeşıller (Greens of Turkey) website: http://www.yesiller.org/
The Greens of Turkey, who have struggled to establish their movement in Turkey since the 1980s, will seek to become a political party at the end of this month, with a platform based upon environmental principles and direct democracy.
This will be the second effort of the Greens to set up a political party; the first came in 1988 and was successful, but the party was closed down in 1994 by the Constitutional Court due to irregularities in the party budget.
In an interview with Today’s Zaman, Greens spokesman Ümit Tahin said the organizational structure of the party will be different from others. “We will of course fulfill the requirements of the Law on Political Parties, but we will have our own rules, such as a 50 percent quota of women members and rotation of party officials. We will not have a leader, but rather one man and one woman spokesperson,” Tahin noted.
The Greens of Turkey, even before becoming a political party, were accepted as an observer in the European Green Parties Council in 2005.
The Greens of Turkey have the same platform as many other global Greens -- ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, decentralization, community-based economics, feminism, respect for diversity, global responsibility and future focus.
In their party program, detailed on their Web site, the Greens of Turkey claim that wars were started in order to control water and oil resources in the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia, while Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq were occupied and Turkey is in the middle of all these problems; thus, they say, international politics based on regional cooperation, peace and friendship is necessary. The Greens of Turkey have pledged to cooperate with the Greens of the world to overcome these problems and not to act on the basis of nationalism.
According to the Greens, Turkey is suffering from human rights violations, military coups and social injustice, all stemming from an authoritarian approach to governing.
The Greens note that their movement began based on civil society organizations but that in recent years the concept of civil society organizations has been abused. The Greens say they will derive their power from real civil society organizations that are working for democracy.
The Greens define the existing Constitution as a product of the 1980 military coup and demand that a new, shorter constitution be created that focuses on basic rights. According to the Greens all types of interference in democratic politics should be banned. They note that the new constitution should emphasize that the freedoms of citizens should not be restricted in the interest of the state. They would also like to see restrictions on and civil monitoring of military expenditures along with the abolishment of the National Security Council (MGK). The Greens also want Turkey to withdraw from NATO, the Americans to be prevented from using İncirlik Air Base and the complete demilitarization of Cyprus. When it comes to the EU the Greens are in favor of continuing with the country’s accession negotiations but pledge to work for an EU based on Green principles.
Regarding the Kurdish question the Greens propose that Turkey must confront the mistakes of the past and recognize the Kurdish identity.
The Greens will discuss the details of the party’s bylaws on June 21 during a meeting in İstanbul.
11.06.2008
News
AYŞE KARABAT
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=144502
Yeşıller (Greens of Turkey) website: http://www.yesiller.org/
Jun 7, 2008
$45 trillion urged to battle carbon emissions
$45 trillion urged in battling carbon emissions
By James Kanter
Friday, June 6, 2008
BRUSSELS: In one of the strongest warnings so far about the world's thirst for energy, the International Energy Agency said Friday that investment totaling $45 trillion might be needed over the next half-century to prevent energy shortages and greenhouse gas emissions from undermining global economic growth.
The executive director of the agency, Nobuo Tanaka, called for "immediate policy action and technological transition on an unprecedented scale." Tanaka said the world needed to "completely transform the way we produce and use energy."
The IEA report said that the combination of growing demand for energy, especially in countries like China and India, the dangers of climate change and the scarcity of resources was going to require huge shifts in the way the global economy was organized. To meet those challenges, it said, nations would have to overcome objections to building nuclear power plants and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide underground or beneath the ocean floor.
"I am very pleased the International Energy Agency has put such a high figure on the cost of making this transition," said Pierre Noël, an energy expert and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "It is high time we got rid of the myth that we can decarbonize our economies on the cheap," he said.
In its report, the IEA, which gives advice on energy policy to its 27 member nations, which include the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and most of Europe, described emissions-cutting measures that broadly match the advice of some leading scientists, who have recommended cutting emissions in half by 2050 as a way of avoiding devastating climate change. Environment ministers from the Group of 8 have backed this target, and they have said governments should officially endorse the goal at a G-8 summit meeting in July in Japan.
The report did not say how such large sums of money should be raised. The IEA said member nations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or Unfccc, the parent treaty of the Kyoto Protocol, must negotiate ways of encouraging governments and businesses to lower emissions.
John Hay, a spokesman for the convention, said markets operating under the Kyoto treaty that put a price on carbon pollution, like Europe's Emissions Trading System, were already playing an important role in driving investment, but could not be solely relied on to raise the sums described by the IEA. Two years ago, Yvo de Boer, the executive secretary of the Unfccc, estimated that carbon trading could generate investments in climate-friendly technology in the developing world worth about $100 billion annually - a fraction of the amounts the IEA said was required.
The IEA report foresees "a dramatic transformation of the energy industry, and how that level of investment can be achieved is a major question," said Robert LaCount, head of climate change and clean energy research at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "Governments at all levels will need to help and support the emergence of new technologies so that they can reach commercialization," he said.
Among the energy agency's chief messages is that current energy policies are unsustainable, with emissions of carbon dioxide expected to climb 130 percent and demand for oil to rise by 70 percent by 2050. Tanaka warned that oil demand could be five times the current production of Saudi Arabia by that time, and that carbon emissions of such a magnitude could raise global average temperatures by 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit), changing all aspects of life and creating irreversible changes in the natural environment.
A major problem for the planet is that the rising cost of oil and natural gas is prompting a switch to coal, particularly in India and China. Coal is inexpensive and plentiful but highly polluting, and its increasing use is contributing to the accelerating growth in emissions of carbon dioxide. But Noël, of the foreign relations council, said the rising cost of fossil fuels should be a cause for optimism, because they would be the main factor driving large-scale investments.
"It's not primarily a global agreement between heads of state that will make technologies like nuclear power or like carbon capture reach take off," Noël said. "It's primarily expectations about energy prices," he said.
The IEA recommended taking measures now that would ensure that carbon emissions were down to at least present-day levels by mid-century by using technologies that already exist, including steps for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions from power generation. Such measures would cost $17 trillion between now and 2050, or 0.4 percent of global output, costing about $400 billion a year.
The agency also mapped out a second, more ambitious plan aimed at reducing emissions to half their current levels by mid-century by emphasizing technologies and strategies for "weaning the world off oil." The agency estimated the cost of that process at $45 trillion, or 1.1 percent of annual global output, over the period to 2050. Investments of $100 billion to $200 billion would be needed each year over the next 10 years, rising to $1 trillion to $2 trillion each year in the coming decades.
To reach the goal of halving emissions, the agency said, among the most important measures would be equipping more than 50 natural gas and coal power plants each year with equipment to capture and sequester carbon dioxide. Such measures would double the generating costs of a coal power station not equipped with capture and storage, and many plants that could not be converted to the new technology would have to close before the end of their useful lives.
"It is recognized that this will be a large step for countries heavily reliant on coal, but a necessary step requiring careful management," the report said.
There would also be a need for 32 new nuclear plants each year, while the number of wind turbines would need to increase by 17,500 annually. Other strategies included accelerating the development of solar electricity and so-called second-generation biofuels, made from sources that do not compete with food for farmland.
The report acknowledged that numerous objections to these technologies would need to be overcome, in particular local opposition to building new nuclear power stations and to long-term nuclear waste repositories. Geologically stable sites also would need to be found for storing carbon dioxide.
But the most difficult and costly step, it said, would be reducing carbon emissions from transportation at a time when the use of cars, airplanes and ships would still be growing rapidly but few technologies would exist to limit emissions from those sources.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/06/business/emit.php
By James Kanter
Friday, June 6, 2008
BRUSSELS: In one of the strongest warnings so far about the world's thirst for energy, the International Energy Agency said Friday that investment totaling $45 trillion might be needed over the next half-century to prevent energy shortages and greenhouse gas emissions from undermining global economic growth.
The executive director of the agency, Nobuo Tanaka, called for "immediate policy action and technological transition on an unprecedented scale." Tanaka said the world needed to "completely transform the way we produce and use energy."
The IEA report said that the combination of growing demand for energy, especially in countries like China and India, the dangers of climate change and the scarcity of resources was going to require huge shifts in the way the global economy was organized. To meet those challenges, it said, nations would have to overcome objections to building nuclear power plants and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide underground or beneath the ocean floor.
"I am very pleased the International Energy Agency has put such a high figure on the cost of making this transition," said Pierre Noël, an energy expert and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "It is high time we got rid of the myth that we can decarbonize our economies on the cheap," he said.
In its report, the IEA, which gives advice on energy policy to its 27 member nations, which include the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and most of Europe, described emissions-cutting measures that broadly match the advice of some leading scientists, who have recommended cutting emissions in half by 2050 as a way of avoiding devastating climate change. Environment ministers from the Group of 8 have backed this target, and they have said governments should officially endorse the goal at a G-8 summit meeting in July in Japan.
The report did not say how such large sums of money should be raised. The IEA said member nations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or Unfccc, the parent treaty of the Kyoto Protocol, must negotiate ways of encouraging governments and businesses to lower emissions.
John Hay, a spokesman for the convention, said markets operating under the Kyoto treaty that put a price on carbon pollution, like Europe's Emissions Trading System, were already playing an important role in driving investment, but could not be solely relied on to raise the sums described by the IEA. Two years ago, Yvo de Boer, the executive secretary of the Unfccc, estimated that carbon trading could generate investments in climate-friendly technology in the developing world worth about $100 billion annually - a fraction of the amounts the IEA said was required.
The IEA report foresees "a dramatic transformation of the energy industry, and how that level of investment can be achieved is a major question," said Robert LaCount, head of climate change and clean energy research at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "Governments at all levels will need to help and support the emergence of new technologies so that they can reach commercialization," he said.
Among the energy agency's chief messages is that current energy policies are unsustainable, with emissions of carbon dioxide expected to climb 130 percent and demand for oil to rise by 70 percent by 2050. Tanaka warned that oil demand could be five times the current production of Saudi Arabia by that time, and that carbon emissions of such a magnitude could raise global average temperatures by 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit), changing all aspects of life and creating irreversible changes in the natural environment.
A major problem for the planet is that the rising cost of oil and natural gas is prompting a switch to coal, particularly in India and China. Coal is inexpensive and plentiful but highly polluting, and its increasing use is contributing to the accelerating growth in emissions of carbon dioxide. But Noël, of the foreign relations council, said the rising cost of fossil fuels should be a cause for optimism, because they would be the main factor driving large-scale investments.
"It's not primarily a global agreement between heads of state that will make technologies like nuclear power or like carbon capture reach take off," Noël said. "It's primarily expectations about energy prices," he said.
The IEA recommended taking measures now that would ensure that carbon emissions were down to at least present-day levels by mid-century by using technologies that already exist, including steps for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions from power generation. Such measures would cost $17 trillion between now and 2050, or 0.4 percent of global output, costing about $400 billion a year.
The agency also mapped out a second, more ambitious plan aimed at reducing emissions to half their current levels by mid-century by emphasizing technologies and strategies for "weaning the world off oil." The agency estimated the cost of that process at $45 trillion, or 1.1 percent of annual global output, over the period to 2050. Investments of $100 billion to $200 billion would be needed each year over the next 10 years, rising to $1 trillion to $2 trillion each year in the coming decades.
To reach the goal of halving emissions, the agency said, among the most important measures would be equipping more than 50 natural gas and coal power plants each year with equipment to capture and sequester carbon dioxide. Such measures would double the generating costs of a coal power station not equipped with capture and storage, and many plants that could not be converted to the new technology would have to close before the end of their useful lives.
"It is recognized that this will be a large step for countries heavily reliant on coal, but a necessary step requiring careful management," the report said.
There would also be a need for 32 new nuclear plants each year, while the number of wind turbines would need to increase by 17,500 annually. Other strategies included accelerating the development of solar electricity and so-called second-generation biofuels, made from sources that do not compete with food for farmland.
The report acknowledged that numerous objections to these technologies would need to be overcome, in particular local opposition to building new nuclear power stations and to long-term nuclear waste repositories. Geologically stable sites also would need to be found for storing carbon dioxide.
But the most difficult and costly step, it said, would be reducing carbon emissions from transportation at a time when the use of cars, airplanes and ships would still be growing rapidly but few technologies would exist to limit emissions from those sources.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/06/business/emit.php
Jun 6, 2008
Kyoto goes to Parliament
Gov't submits law project for Kyoto to Parliament
Friday, June 6, 2008
ANKARA – TDN Parliament Bureau
The government submitted a law project to Parliament yesterday that accepts Turkey's decision to join the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement that aims to control greenhouse emissions and alleviate global warming.
Turkey became a party to the 1997 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2004, after being released from its status as an Annex II nation, which obliged it to help developing nations cover the costs of reducing greenhouse emissions.
Under the new agreement Turkey will be exempt from such obligations during Kyoto's first commitment period, which will begin immediately and end in 2012.
“Proving Turkey's resolve to struggle against climate change, increasing Turkey's reputation among countries party to the (United Nations Framework Convention) and the (Kyoto Protocol), and securing a better position for Turkey in shaping of post-2012 regulations” are reasons listed in the law for Turkey joining the international agreement.
The government's proposal will be reviewed by parliamentary commissions before it is presented to the general assembly, where the expectation is it will be ratified.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wants to conclude the ratification process in July, before Parliament breaks for vacation, allowing Turkey to participate in the 14th Conference of Parties this December in Poland, where parties to the agreement will collaborate on measures to combat climate change for the second commitment period, to begin in 2012.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106501
Friday, June 6, 2008
ANKARA – TDN Parliament Bureau
The government submitted a law project to Parliament yesterday that accepts Turkey's decision to join the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement that aims to control greenhouse emissions and alleviate global warming.
Turkey became a party to the 1997 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2004, after being released from its status as an Annex II nation, which obliged it to help developing nations cover the costs of reducing greenhouse emissions.
Under the new agreement Turkey will be exempt from such obligations during Kyoto's first commitment period, which will begin immediately and end in 2012.
“Proving Turkey's resolve to struggle against climate change, increasing Turkey's reputation among countries party to the (United Nations Framework Convention) and the (Kyoto Protocol), and securing a better position for Turkey in shaping of post-2012 regulations” are reasons listed in the law for Turkey joining the international agreement.
The government's proposal will be reviewed by parliamentary commissions before it is presented to the general assembly, where the expectation is it will be ratified.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wants to conclude the ratification process in July, before Parliament breaks for vacation, allowing Turkey to participate in the 14th Conference of Parties this December in Poland, where parties to the agreement will collaborate on measures to combat climate change for the second commitment period, to begin in 2012.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106501
Does Turkey really care about the environment?
Turkey might care about the environment, but not that much
Friday, June 6, 2008
ÇINAR KİPERISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
Turks may be more environmentally conscious than they once were, but the nation's environmental organizations still lag woefully behind their counterparts in the civil society sector, suggests a recent report by a leading Turkish university.
A report by Bahçeşehir University, which details the recent rise of environmental nongovernmental organizations in Turkey and notes their relatively small number compared to other Turkish civil society organizations, has shed light on the state of Turkish environmentalism just prior to World Environment Day, celebrated Wednesday around the world and in Turkey.
The report by Assistant Professor Hande Paker and researcher Barış Gençer Baykan, titled “Environment and Civil Society in Turkey: Organization and Latest Activities,” revealed that environmental NGOs in Turkey have tripled in the last 12 years alone but still make up only 0.7 percent of the total number of NGOs in the country.
Doğa's communications coordinator, Yeşim Erbaşol, spoke to the Turkish Daily News on Wednesday about the difficulties NGOs face. "Our greatest problem is getting volunteers and support. Almost all of our support comes from abroad, and the private sector has been offering support for only the past couple years."
Ümit Yaşar Gürses, chairman of the board of directors for the Turkish Foundation for Reforestation, Protection of Natural Habitats and Combating of Soil Erosion (TEMA), told the TDN that his organization considers itself fortunate to have enough support, but attributed the difficulties faced by many NGOs to inadequate government support. "Governments, which tend not to like what environmental organizations have to say, present many obstacles," he said.
The report identifies 19 environmental NGOs established between 1924-1980; 35 between 1981-1990; 82 between 1991-1995; and 439 between 1995-2007. This means that of the 575 currently active NGOs, 76 percent were established in the past 12 years alone.
"The drought last year played a huge role in raising awareness both within the public and the private sector. As our speed of consumption increases, it is only natural that awareness would also increase," said Erbaşol.
Gürses, on the other hand, is skeptical about the purported growing environmental conscience. "Many people might say that they are concerned with the environment, but they are still lacking in practice,” said Gürses. As for the rise in the number of environmental organizations, Gürses felt that the number might have increased, but that very few of the organizations are actually having an effect.
Uygar Özesmi, director general of Greenpeace Mediterranean, disagreed, saying, "It is the small local organizations that are most effective in protecting the environment."
Özesmi traced the success of these organizations to two relatively recent developments: The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, established in Turkey in 1994 by the U.N.'s development body, and the Civil Society Development Center, which provide many NGOs, including environmental ones, with funding from the European Union. "The recent developments in Turkey have been an overlooked success," Özesmi added.
According to the Turkish Department of Associations, there are 78,608 active NGOs operating in the country in total, of which only 0.7 percent have an environmental agenda. Divided by region, the greatest numbers of organizations are found in the Central Anatolian and Marmara regions, with 158 and 127 organization respectively, and the fewest are found in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions, with 32 and 19 respectively.
Asked what would have to change to strengthen the role of NGOs, Özesmi told the TDN that civil society must be seen as a part of the democratic system and not as an extension of the government, and that the education system must change to foster creativity and strengthen individual involvement.
The report also found gaps in the environmental issues covered by the organizations, with many organizations dealing with protection, forestry, erosion, and coastal regions and very few with mining or nuclear energy. The report postulated that this was due to a popular conception that the latter areas are under government supervision and that the government hadn't made these fields accessible for NGOs, a sentiment echoed by Gürses.
The report added, "When considering that relevant ministries and official organizations have been more involved with increasing public awareness regarding protection and forestry/erosion, these fields have a greater legitimacy. The focus on protection in particular is a consequence of foreign and domestic funds pouring in and environmental management programs."
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106496
Friday, June 6, 2008
ÇINAR KİPERISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
Turks may be more environmentally conscious than they once were, but the nation's environmental organizations still lag woefully behind their counterparts in the civil society sector, suggests a recent report by a leading Turkish university.
A report by Bahçeşehir University, which details the recent rise of environmental nongovernmental organizations in Turkey and notes their relatively small number compared to other Turkish civil society organizations, has shed light on the state of Turkish environmentalism just prior to World Environment Day, celebrated Wednesday around the world and in Turkey.
The report by Assistant Professor Hande Paker and researcher Barış Gençer Baykan, titled “Environment and Civil Society in Turkey: Organization and Latest Activities,” revealed that environmental NGOs in Turkey have tripled in the last 12 years alone but still make up only 0.7 percent of the total number of NGOs in the country.
Doğa's communications coordinator, Yeşim Erbaşol, spoke to the Turkish Daily News on Wednesday about the difficulties NGOs face. "Our greatest problem is getting volunteers and support. Almost all of our support comes from abroad, and the private sector has been offering support for only the past couple years."
Ümit Yaşar Gürses, chairman of the board of directors for the Turkish Foundation for Reforestation, Protection of Natural Habitats and Combating of Soil Erosion (TEMA), told the TDN that his organization considers itself fortunate to have enough support, but attributed the difficulties faced by many NGOs to inadequate government support. "Governments, which tend not to like what environmental organizations have to say, present many obstacles," he said.
The report identifies 19 environmental NGOs established between 1924-1980; 35 between 1981-1990; 82 between 1991-1995; and 439 between 1995-2007. This means that of the 575 currently active NGOs, 76 percent were established in the past 12 years alone.
"The drought last year played a huge role in raising awareness both within the public and the private sector. As our speed of consumption increases, it is only natural that awareness would also increase," said Erbaşol.
Gürses, on the other hand, is skeptical about the purported growing environmental conscience. "Many people might say that they are concerned with the environment, but they are still lacking in practice,” said Gürses. As for the rise in the number of environmental organizations, Gürses felt that the number might have increased, but that very few of the organizations are actually having an effect.
Uygar Özesmi, director general of Greenpeace Mediterranean, disagreed, saying, "It is the small local organizations that are most effective in protecting the environment."
Özesmi traced the success of these organizations to two relatively recent developments: The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, established in Turkey in 1994 by the U.N.'s development body, and the Civil Society Development Center, which provide many NGOs, including environmental ones, with funding from the European Union. "The recent developments in Turkey have been an overlooked success," Özesmi added.
According to the Turkish Department of Associations, there are 78,608 active NGOs operating in the country in total, of which only 0.7 percent have an environmental agenda. Divided by region, the greatest numbers of organizations are found in the Central Anatolian and Marmara regions, with 158 and 127 organization respectively, and the fewest are found in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions, with 32 and 19 respectively.
Asked what would have to change to strengthen the role of NGOs, Özesmi told the TDN that civil society must be seen as a part of the democratic system and not as an extension of the government, and that the education system must change to foster creativity and strengthen individual involvement.
The report also found gaps in the environmental issues covered by the organizations, with many organizations dealing with protection, forestry, erosion, and coastal regions and very few with mining or nuclear energy. The report postulated that this was due to a popular conception that the latter areas are under government supervision and that the government hadn't made these fields accessible for NGOs, a sentiment echoed by Gürses.
The report added, "When considering that relevant ministries and official organizations have been more involved with increasing public awareness regarding protection and forestry/erosion, these fields have a greater legitimacy. The focus on protection in particular is a consequence of foreign and domestic funds pouring in and environmental management programs."
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106496
Jun 5, 2008
World Environment Day
Clean-up campaigns to raise awareness on environmental problems
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Students participating in World Environment Day activities yesterday were probably not expecting to have fun cleaning up parks and forests, but they were rewarded for their hard work with bike rides and face painting at the end of the day.
Though the United Nations suggests 80 different activities for World Environment Day, this year's activities in Turkey did not change much from previous years, as students once again cleaned up parks and forests. Officials and students believe that, though the clean-up activities are symbolic, they are not worthless because they raise public awareness of environmental problems through the media.
“These (clean up campaigns) are symbolic activities, but still they raise public awareness and the press brings the issue to the people's agenda,” said Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Müsbah Demircan. Around 1,200 students gathered together to clean a park near the Golden Horn yesterday. The activity was organized by the Education Ministry, in collaboration with Deniztemiz Turmepa, a foundation that aims to protect Turkey's seas and waterways.
Students said they were happy not to attend classes yesterday. “They said we would clean the forest areas, but we were not expecting to have fun and ride bicycles too. We really had fun here,” said Mizgin Kurt, 13, a student at Hacı İshak Primary School, adding that playground areas are limited in Istanbul.
Educators believe, however, that clean up activities should be supported by lessons and other activities organized throughout the year.
“This is an issue of education. Children clean these parks now, but everyone will continue to pollute the environment as soon as this organization ends,” said Necmettin Karagöz, director of Piripaşa Primary School in Istanbul. He said the problems will continue until everyone develops greater sensitivity to environmental issues.
Families worried about tick bites
The students, happy to be outside of the school on a sunny day, said they are aware of the seriousness of environmental problems in Turkey and in the world. Pollution and the shortage of water are the main environmental problems in Turkey, according to the children. “Everyone should throw the rubbish and stumps of their cigarettes in rubbish boxes,” said İbrahim Güler, 10, a student at Hasköy Primary School in Istanbul. He said he warns people around him about the environmental crisis but they do not listen to him.
Some high school students said they believe the next generation will be more sensitive to save nature. “Nobody told us not to waste natural resources, but now children learn that there will be water shortage due to global warming,” said Damla Derman, 16, a student at Fenerbahçe High School.
Families, on the other hand, were worried about tick bites, which killed 18 people in Turkey in May alone, as their children cleaned the grassy areas. The playing fields that were cleaned by students were disinfected for ticks the previous day. The clean-up campaign was canceled in the Sivas province of central Anatolia due to risks of having ticks in the region, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Officials also warned students to wear gloves during the cleaning to avoid infection.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106450
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Students participating in World Environment Day activities yesterday were probably not expecting to have fun cleaning up parks and forests, but they were rewarded for their hard work with bike rides and face painting at the end of the day.
Though the United Nations suggests 80 different activities for World Environment Day, this year's activities in Turkey did not change much from previous years, as students once again cleaned up parks and forests. Officials and students believe that, though the clean-up activities are symbolic, they are not worthless because they raise public awareness of environmental problems through the media.
“These (clean up campaigns) are symbolic activities, but still they raise public awareness and the press brings the issue to the people's agenda,” said Beyoğlu Mayor Ahmet Müsbah Demircan. Around 1,200 students gathered together to clean a park near the Golden Horn yesterday. The activity was organized by the Education Ministry, in collaboration with Deniztemiz Turmepa, a foundation that aims to protect Turkey's seas and waterways.
Students said they were happy not to attend classes yesterday. “They said we would clean the forest areas, but we were not expecting to have fun and ride bicycles too. We really had fun here,” said Mizgin Kurt, 13, a student at Hacı İshak Primary School, adding that playground areas are limited in Istanbul.
Educators believe, however, that clean up activities should be supported by lessons and other activities organized throughout the year.
“This is an issue of education. Children clean these parks now, but everyone will continue to pollute the environment as soon as this organization ends,” said Necmettin Karagöz, director of Piripaşa Primary School in Istanbul. He said the problems will continue until everyone develops greater sensitivity to environmental issues.
Families worried about tick bites
The students, happy to be outside of the school on a sunny day, said they are aware of the seriousness of environmental problems in Turkey and in the world. Pollution and the shortage of water are the main environmental problems in Turkey, according to the children. “Everyone should throw the rubbish and stumps of their cigarettes in rubbish boxes,” said İbrahim Güler, 10, a student at Hasköy Primary School in Istanbul. He said he warns people around him about the environmental crisis but they do not listen to him.
Some high school students said they believe the next generation will be more sensitive to save nature. “Nobody told us not to waste natural resources, but now children learn that there will be water shortage due to global warming,” said Damla Derman, 16, a student at Fenerbahçe High School.
Families, on the other hand, were worried about tick bites, which killed 18 people in Turkey in May alone, as their children cleaned the grassy areas. The playing fields that were cleaned by students were disinfected for ticks the previous day. The clean-up campaign was canceled in the Sivas province of central Anatolia due to risks of having ticks in the region, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Officials also warned students to wear gloves during the cleaning to avoid infection.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106450
Jun 4, 2008
Low-carbon economy in Turkey
Kick the CO2 habit: toward a low- carbon economy
byMAHMOOD AYUB*
It has already begun. The chain reaction of events related to climate change affects us all. More than ever, extreme weather conditions are causing severe natural disasters.
Droughts and floods, melting ice in the polar regions, rising sea levels, damage to ecosystems and loss of biodiversity are all indicators of climate change. Even the most persistent skeptics now agree that climate change is real and that it is happening. It has a drastic impact on our daily lives. And it is caused by a human addiction: our dangerous carbon habit. Carbon-based energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels have caused the eventual buildup of dangerous amounts of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.It has had devastating effects on our lives. In Bangladesh alone, 70 million people living in the country's coastal areas face inundation if sea levels continue to rise. Another major victim of climate change is biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity directly undermines our food supply. About one-fifth of domestic animal breeds are at risk of extinction, with an average of one lost each month. Of the 7,000 species of plants domesticated over our 10,000-year history of agriculture, only 30 account for the vast majority of the food we eat every day.
Our food supply is at risk
The food crisis is already showing brutal consequences for humans. The price of food is soaring. The threat of hunger and malnutrition is growing. Millions of the world's most vulnerable people are at risk. And according to a recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Report, prices will remain high over the next decade. Even if prices fall from current record levels, it will still mean that millions more risk further hardship or hunger. And that is not all we are doing to damage the planet. We also destroy the ecosystem that once had full power to absorb greenhouse gases. Valuable forests around the world have been sacrificed for their timber. This continues at an alarming rate so plantations can supply a growing demand for biofuels. Fertile lands are turning to desert. Oceans are facing the danger of losing key species critical to the continuity of its ecosystem.
Mitigation and adaptation is the way out
Unfortunately, we cannot reverse what has already started. However to reduce its effects we can focus on mitigation and adaptation.Nobody is immune from the results of climate change. Although the poor of the world will be hit hardest, even the richest nations face the prospects of economic recession and a world in conflict over diminishing resources.
Turkey takes steps
Turkey is also at risk. It is among the regions that will be adversely affected by climate change -- and its consequences are already being felt in the country. Additionally, 85 percent of the land area in Turkey is "highly vulnerable to desertification." With this in mind, Turkey has geared up to take necessary steps forward. Recently, President Abdullah Gül and the Turkish government said that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol were the most effective tools for sustainable development and Turkey was preparing to assume its responsibilities as a party to the UN convention. This is a very encouraging step forward.
The United Nations Turkey Office also works with the Turkish government to boost Turkey's capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change. To that end, with support from Spanish government funding, the UN Turkey Office and Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry began the first climate adaptation project in Turkey. Several UN agencies, including UNDP as the leading agency, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) are parties to the project.
Global response is a must
A global response to climate change is a must to mitigate and thus eradicate poverty by avoiding major global instability causing dire consequences for humanity.
That is why the theme of this year's World Environment Day (June 5) is "Kick the Habit: Toward a Low Carbon Economy." It is a way to show the dreadful consequences of our carbon addiction and the way out. Although it is not possible to reverse the effects of climate change, the good news is that technologies to mitigate and adapt to climate change exist or are under development. These same technologies will also make our consumption of carbon-based fuels cleaner and more efficient. Renewable energy is also an important priority.
There are other encouraging developments. Earlier this year, to move swiftly toward carbon neutrality, UNEP launched the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). Today it has a wide membership portfolio, including countries, corporations and cities.
These projects and initiatives show that we are all part of the solution. We should assume our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and kick the habit. It is the only way out.
*Mahmood Ayub is the UN resident coordinator in Turkey.
05.06.2008
Op-Ed
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143867
byMAHMOOD AYUB*
It has already begun. The chain reaction of events related to climate change affects us all. More than ever, extreme weather conditions are causing severe natural disasters.
Droughts and floods, melting ice in the polar regions, rising sea levels, damage to ecosystems and loss of biodiversity are all indicators of climate change. Even the most persistent skeptics now agree that climate change is real and that it is happening. It has a drastic impact on our daily lives. And it is caused by a human addiction: our dangerous carbon habit. Carbon-based energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels have caused the eventual buildup of dangerous amounts of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.It has had devastating effects on our lives. In Bangladesh alone, 70 million people living in the country's coastal areas face inundation if sea levels continue to rise. Another major victim of climate change is biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity directly undermines our food supply. About one-fifth of domestic animal breeds are at risk of extinction, with an average of one lost each month. Of the 7,000 species of plants domesticated over our 10,000-year history of agriculture, only 30 account for the vast majority of the food we eat every day.
Our food supply is at risk
The food crisis is already showing brutal consequences for humans. The price of food is soaring. The threat of hunger and malnutrition is growing. Millions of the world's most vulnerable people are at risk. And according to a recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Report, prices will remain high over the next decade. Even if prices fall from current record levels, it will still mean that millions more risk further hardship or hunger. And that is not all we are doing to damage the planet. We also destroy the ecosystem that once had full power to absorb greenhouse gases. Valuable forests around the world have been sacrificed for their timber. This continues at an alarming rate so plantations can supply a growing demand for biofuels. Fertile lands are turning to desert. Oceans are facing the danger of losing key species critical to the continuity of its ecosystem.
Mitigation and adaptation is the way out
Unfortunately, we cannot reverse what has already started. However to reduce its effects we can focus on mitigation and adaptation.Nobody is immune from the results of climate change. Although the poor of the world will be hit hardest, even the richest nations face the prospects of economic recession and a world in conflict over diminishing resources.
Turkey takes steps
Turkey is also at risk. It is among the regions that will be adversely affected by climate change -- and its consequences are already being felt in the country. Additionally, 85 percent of the land area in Turkey is "highly vulnerable to desertification." With this in mind, Turkey has geared up to take necessary steps forward. Recently, President Abdullah Gül and the Turkish government said that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol were the most effective tools for sustainable development and Turkey was preparing to assume its responsibilities as a party to the UN convention. This is a very encouraging step forward.
The United Nations Turkey Office also works with the Turkish government to boost Turkey's capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change. To that end, with support from Spanish government funding, the UN Turkey Office and Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry began the first climate adaptation project in Turkey. Several UN agencies, including UNDP as the leading agency, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) are parties to the project.
Global response is a must
A global response to climate change is a must to mitigate and thus eradicate poverty by avoiding major global instability causing dire consequences for humanity.
That is why the theme of this year's World Environment Day (June 5) is "Kick the Habit: Toward a Low Carbon Economy." It is a way to show the dreadful consequences of our carbon addiction and the way out. Although it is not possible to reverse the effects of climate change, the good news is that technologies to mitigate and adapt to climate change exist or are under development. These same technologies will also make our consumption of carbon-based fuels cleaner and more efficient. Renewable energy is also an important priority.
There are other encouraging developments. Earlier this year, to move swiftly toward carbon neutrality, UNEP launched the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). Today it has a wide membership portfolio, including countries, corporations and cities.
These projects and initiatives show that we are all part of the solution. We should assume our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and kick the habit. It is the only way out.
*Mahmood Ayub is the UN resident coordinator in Turkey.
05.06.2008
Op-Ed
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143867
Political leverage, not environmental protection, behind Turkey's move to ratify Kyoto?
Political concerns shadow environment protection in Kyoto move
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
MUSTAFA OĞUZANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Turkey finally ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, but the decision is likely to be a political disguised as real environmental concerns. Instead of developing sound strategies to help alleviate climate change, gaining political leverage in world affairs seem to dominate the country's position toward Kyoto.
The government's decision to join the Kyoto Protocol three years after the agreement came into force seems like a diplomatic move rather than a sincere commitment to fully implement the international criteria to limit global warming, a Turkish environmentalist said yesterday.
"Turkey's move is a political one. It is a way of saying ‘I am in the club,'” Yunus Arıkan, a climate change senior project manager for the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), told the Turkish Daily News yesterday.
Arıkan referred to Turkey's wish to grab a seat at the 14th Conference of Participants this December and to have a say in the post-Kyoto environmental regime. The Kyoto Protocol was open for signatures in 1998, and entered into force in 2005 with the accession of Russia. Kyoto was signed by 176 countries and 37 among them are obliged to cut their greenhouse emission levels between 2008-12. “Governments around the world are trying to shape the next term by holding international meetings, and work will be concluded in 2009,” Arıkan said.
Politics dominate environmental policy
Foreign Ministry officials said another major point was to strengthen Turkey's bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Environmental issues are high on the Council's, thus Kyoto is of major importance to Turkey, officials told the TDN.
Turkey is also obliged to ratify the protocol to join the European Union. “The EU has even stricter environmental protection policy. Turkey must adapt to it sooner or later,” said Arıkan.
“State institutions have no strategy to implement protocols aims,” Greenpeace Mediterranean Director Uygar Özesmi said. “Even the United States, which did not ratify the protocol, set standards similar to the Kyoto Protocol on environmental protection. Turkey needs a top-level decision and must lay out and announce publicly its aims and determine what changes will be made in which sector, until 2010, 2020 and 2050,” he said.
A misstep turned into an advantage
Özesmi noted that, contrary to common belief, signing the Kyoto Protocol does not put an additional burden on Turkey until 2012. “The acceleration of the ratification process is a positive development. Turkey was late in participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in ratifying the Kyoto Protocol,” he said. Turkey missed the possibility of becoming a “party” to the protocol, so will instead “accede” to it if Parliament chooses to ratify it.
Turkey's long-overdue move can also be interpreted from a positive point of view by those more concerned with the agreement's possible burdens on industry. Turkey was not a party to the convention adopted in 1992 when the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated, so it is not currently included in the agreement's Annex-B, which includes 39 countries that are obliged to reduce their greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels between 2008-12.
“Turkey was mistakenly included in the beginning among both developed and responsible countries,” said Arıkan. Turkey thus had to share the responsibility for providing developing countries with new and additional financial resources, transferring technology to them, and even meeting the agreed full costs incurred by developing country parties. The Foreign Ministry has suggested that Turkey's inclusion in both annexes was the result of its membership to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Turkey disputed its cumbersome position, and finally was deleted from Annex II by an amendment that entered into force June 28, 2002, following a decision adopted at the seventh Conference of Parties that took place the previous year. After the decision, Turkey ratified the U.N. convention in 2004.
It is entirely up to the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions until 2012, noted Arıkan. Nevertheless, Turkey will sooner or later have to begin serious thinking to curb its greenhouse emissions. “It will certainly be asked to bear a burden in the next arrangements,” Arıkan warned.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106345
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
MUSTAFA OĞUZANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Turkey finally ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, but the decision is likely to be a political disguised as real environmental concerns. Instead of developing sound strategies to help alleviate climate change, gaining political leverage in world affairs seem to dominate the country's position toward Kyoto.
The government's decision to join the Kyoto Protocol three years after the agreement came into force seems like a diplomatic move rather than a sincere commitment to fully implement the international criteria to limit global warming, a Turkish environmentalist said yesterday.
"Turkey's move is a political one. It is a way of saying ‘I am in the club,'” Yunus Arıkan, a climate change senior project manager for the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), told the Turkish Daily News yesterday.
Arıkan referred to Turkey's wish to grab a seat at the 14th Conference of Participants this December and to have a say in the post-Kyoto environmental regime. The Kyoto Protocol was open for signatures in 1998, and entered into force in 2005 with the accession of Russia. Kyoto was signed by 176 countries and 37 among them are obliged to cut their greenhouse emission levels between 2008-12. “Governments around the world are trying to shape the next term by holding international meetings, and work will be concluded in 2009,” Arıkan said.
Politics dominate environmental policy
Foreign Ministry officials said another major point was to strengthen Turkey's bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Environmental issues are high on the Council's, thus Kyoto is of major importance to Turkey, officials told the TDN.
Turkey is also obliged to ratify the protocol to join the European Union. “The EU has even stricter environmental protection policy. Turkey must adapt to it sooner or later,” said Arıkan.
“State institutions have no strategy to implement protocols aims,” Greenpeace Mediterranean Director Uygar Özesmi said. “Even the United States, which did not ratify the protocol, set standards similar to the Kyoto Protocol on environmental protection. Turkey needs a top-level decision and must lay out and announce publicly its aims and determine what changes will be made in which sector, until 2010, 2020 and 2050,” he said.
A misstep turned into an advantage
Özesmi noted that, contrary to common belief, signing the Kyoto Protocol does not put an additional burden on Turkey until 2012. “The acceleration of the ratification process is a positive development. Turkey was late in participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in ratifying the Kyoto Protocol,” he said. Turkey missed the possibility of becoming a “party” to the protocol, so will instead “accede” to it if Parliament chooses to ratify it.
Turkey's long-overdue move can also be interpreted from a positive point of view by those more concerned with the agreement's possible burdens on industry. Turkey was not a party to the convention adopted in 1992 when the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated, so it is not currently included in the agreement's Annex-B, which includes 39 countries that are obliged to reduce their greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels between 2008-12.
“Turkey was mistakenly included in the beginning among both developed and responsible countries,” said Arıkan. Turkey thus had to share the responsibility for providing developing countries with new and additional financial resources, transferring technology to them, and even meeting the agreed full costs incurred by developing country parties. The Foreign Ministry has suggested that Turkey's inclusion in both annexes was the result of its membership to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Turkey disputed its cumbersome position, and finally was deleted from Annex II by an amendment that entered into force June 28, 2002, following a decision adopted at the seventh Conference of Parties that took place the previous year. After the decision, Turkey ratified the U.N. convention in 2004.
It is entirely up to the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions until 2012, noted Arıkan. Nevertheless, Turkey will sooner or later have to begin serious thinking to curb its greenhouse emissions. “It will certainly be asked to bear a burden in the next arrangements,” Arıkan warned.
http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106345
Carbon Trading in Turkey, more on Kyoto
Turkey set to gain from carbon trading
Turkey's annual emission reduction efforts will be facilitated by sustainable energy development projects funded by voluntary carbon funds, with the number of these projects reaching 30 in the first quarter of 2008, resulting in a greenhouse gas reduction of approximately 5 million tons, equaling about 20 million euros in gains, if these energy companies engage in a carbon trading scheme, according to an international environmental organization's Turkey office.
Yunus Arıkan, the senior project manager for the Turkey office of the Hungary-based Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), says: "Based on information acquired by REC-Turkey, as of October 2007, there are nine projects in Turkey that have been involved in the voluntary carbon trade, which accounts for a total of 700,000 tons of carbon emission reduction annually. However, recently acquired data show the number of projects is 30, accounting for approximately 5 million tons in carbon emission reduction."
Speaking to Today's Zaman, Arıkan said both the number and volume of projects make Turkey one of the pioneering countries in this emerging market. He also said the fact that Turkey hosts the first "gold standard" verified emission reduction project globally qualifies Turkey for such a position, but that if Turkey is excluded from the world compulsory carbon market in the post-Kyoto period, it might lose these investments.
The Turkish government has decided to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and will send a bill on the issue to Parliament, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek said at a news conference on Monday. The Kyoto Protocol binds 37 industrialized countries to put limits on their greenhouse gases blamed for the rise in global temperatures.
The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries which ratified it committed to reduce their emissions by an average of 5 percent from 1990 levels by 2012.
A total of 176 countries are signatory to the protocol, but concerned that its ratification before the completion of large-scale energy investments would lead to serious economic and social problems, Turkey chose not to sign.
Contrary to the beliefs of most Turkish critics of Kyoto, ratifying the protocol, set to expire in 2012, will cost Turkey nothing. "Turkey has no emission reduction obligations, and it will incur none even when it is a party to Kyoto. As such, there will be no cost at all. Turkey will not be obliged to reduce gas emissions until after 2012," said Haluk Özdalga, the chairman of Parliament's Environment Commission.
He also said if Turkey does not ratify the protocol, it will not be able to negotiate effectively in the post-Kyoto era. It is still unclear what obligations countries will assume post-2012 and that these will be determined in negotiations to be completed in 2009.
However, REC-Turkey warns that Turkey will not be eligible to join the Kyoto Protocol's flexibility mechanisms even if it signs it and that for the time being emission reduction projects in Turkey can only be pursued through voluntary carbon markets. "Voluntary markets in Turkey shall be designed so as to support Turkey's negotiations and efforts for the country to be considered a carbon seller country by hosting Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) in the post-2012 period. Moreover, Turkey shall consider a more active role for the government in the voluntary carbon process so that the institutional framework and the process of monitoring, permission and registry issues might evolve into a DNA and registry system in the country in the post-2012 period," an REC-Turkey report stated.
While China received sizable funds through CDMs to promote investments based on reduced carbon emissions, Turkey has been ineligible to receive them. Similarly, Turkey-based carbon certificates remain undervalued in international carbon markets.
Carbon emitting companies offset their pollution by purchasing credits from renewable energy investors, which in turn gain financial backing for their projects; trading is more profitable for countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
Businessman and Wind Power and Hydro Power Plants Businessmen's Association (RESSİAD) President Ümit Tolga Bilgin said he was the first to start carbon emission trading in Turkey in voluntary markets, but complained of low prices.
"Countries that signed the protocol can ask for at least 5 euros per ton, but it is only about 3 or 4 euros because CDMs and its standards do not apply," Bilgin said.
‘Turkey's ratification of Kyoto is of global importance'
Sibel Sezer Eralp, the president of REC-Turkey, said when Turkey ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, it will contribute to developments on the global level in the post-Kyoto era.
"Turkey's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol could even provide a more significant contribution to the international debate than Australia joining the Kyoto in 2007 because Turkey, with its own special circumstances, could bring a clear definition to the still unclear developed/developing countries definitions under the UNFCCC," she said.
As an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country, Turkey was included in Annex I of the UNFCCC in 1992 and even in Annex II, the list of relatively advanced industrialized countries that have committed themselves to financial and technical transfers to developing countries. Following objections from Turkey, it was eventually removed from Annex II. But as a non-signatory to the original 1997 protocol, it was also not included in Annex B, freeing it from emission reduction commitments. At the end, Turkey was ranked as an "advanced developing country" making it comparable to those of other non-EU developing countries within the OECD.
"So Turkey, as a non-EU member country and as a country not in Annex B, but as country which is a member of the OECD, could cooperate with all countries like South Korea and Mexico, falling under the category of 'advanced developing country'," she said.
Turkey's per capita emissions in 2003 amounted to 4.1 tons per year, which was two-and-a-half times lower than average per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the then EU-25 and more than three times less than the average for all Annex I countries. Its potential to rapidly increase its emissions is high, however, because it has a high number of development projects.
Greece suspended from UN Kyoto carbon trading
Greece has been suspended from UN carbon trading in an unprecedented punishment for violating greenhouse gas reporting rules that underpin a fight against global warming, officials said on Tuesday.
A group of legal experts enforcing compliance with the UN's Kyoto Protocol also said it was opening proceedings against Canada for alleged violations of rules on accounting for heat-trapping gases.
"Greece is declared to be in non-compliance," the enforcement branch said in a statement distributed by the Bonn-based UN Climate Change Secretariat, the first such ruling since Kyoto entered into force in 2005.
Athens had failed to maintain a proper national system for recording greenhouse gas emissions, key to ensuring compliance with the protocol seeking to slow temperature rises that could bring more floods, droughts, heat waves and rising seas.
The Kyoto Protocol imposes a cap on emissions of greenhouse gases by some 37 industrialized countries but allows them to meet their targets by paying for emissions cuts elsewhere, such as in the developing world or former East Bloc nations.
The ruling means that Greece is barred from such offsetting except under one track of emissions trading with former communist countries. Greek companies would still be able to take part in a European Union market for carbon dioxide.
Greece's emissions were running some 26 percent above 1990 levels in 2006, slightly above Greece's Kyoto target of no more than 25 percent above 1990 levels between 2008-12. As a result it has little need to buy offsets.
The enforcement branch also said that Canada had failed to provide a proper registry for greenhouse gases and had missed a Jan. 1, 2007 reporting deadline by more than two months. The Canadian finding was preliminary and needed further research before any final rulings.
Canada's emissions were 25.3 percent above 1990 levels in 2005, far above a Kyoto target of a 6 percent cut by 2008-12. Canada has said its target is unachievable, as it develops oil sands which involve high carbon emissions.
Oslo, London Reuters
04.06.2008
News
YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143851
Turkey's annual emission reduction efforts will be facilitated by sustainable energy development projects funded by voluntary carbon funds, with the number of these projects reaching 30 in the first quarter of 2008, resulting in a greenhouse gas reduction of approximately 5 million tons, equaling about 20 million euros in gains, if these energy companies engage in a carbon trading scheme, according to an international environmental organization's Turkey office.
Yunus Arıkan, the senior project manager for the Turkey office of the Hungary-based Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), says: "Based on information acquired by REC-Turkey, as of October 2007, there are nine projects in Turkey that have been involved in the voluntary carbon trade, which accounts for a total of 700,000 tons of carbon emission reduction annually. However, recently acquired data show the number of projects is 30, accounting for approximately 5 million tons in carbon emission reduction."
Speaking to Today's Zaman, Arıkan said both the number and volume of projects make Turkey one of the pioneering countries in this emerging market. He also said the fact that Turkey hosts the first "gold standard" verified emission reduction project globally qualifies Turkey for such a position, but that if Turkey is excluded from the world compulsory carbon market in the post-Kyoto period, it might lose these investments.
The Turkish government has decided to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and will send a bill on the issue to Parliament, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek said at a news conference on Monday. The Kyoto Protocol binds 37 industrialized countries to put limits on their greenhouse gases blamed for the rise in global temperatures.
The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries which ratified it committed to reduce their emissions by an average of 5 percent from 1990 levels by 2012.
A total of 176 countries are signatory to the protocol, but concerned that its ratification before the completion of large-scale energy investments would lead to serious economic and social problems, Turkey chose not to sign.
Contrary to the beliefs of most Turkish critics of Kyoto, ratifying the protocol, set to expire in 2012, will cost Turkey nothing. "Turkey has no emission reduction obligations, and it will incur none even when it is a party to Kyoto. As such, there will be no cost at all. Turkey will not be obliged to reduce gas emissions until after 2012," said Haluk Özdalga, the chairman of Parliament's Environment Commission.
He also said if Turkey does not ratify the protocol, it will not be able to negotiate effectively in the post-Kyoto era. It is still unclear what obligations countries will assume post-2012 and that these will be determined in negotiations to be completed in 2009.
However, REC-Turkey warns that Turkey will not be eligible to join the Kyoto Protocol's flexibility mechanisms even if it signs it and that for the time being emission reduction projects in Turkey can only be pursued through voluntary carbon markets. "Voluntary markets in Turkey shall be designed so as to support Turkey's negotiations and efforts for the country to be considered a carbon seller country by hosting Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) in the post-2012 period. Moreover, Turkey shall consider a more active role for the government in the voluntary carbon process so that the institutional framework and the process of monitoring, permission and registry issues might evolve into a DNA and registry system in the country in the post-2012 period," an REC-Turkey report stated.
While China received sizable funds through CDMs to promote investments based on reduced carbon emissions, Turkey has been ineligible to receive them. Similarly, Turkey-based carbon certificates remain undervalued in international carbon markets.
Carbon emitting companies offset their pollution by purchasing credits from renewable energy investors, which in turn gain financial backing for their projects; trading is more profitable for countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
Businessman and Wind Power and Hydro Power Plants Businessmen's Association (RESSİAD) President Ümit Tolga Bilgin said he was the first to start carbon emission trading in Turkey in voluntary markets, but complained of low prices.
"Countries that signed the protocol can ask for at least 5 euros per ton, but it is only about 3 or 4 euros because CDMs and its standards do not apply," Bilgin said.
‘Turkey's ratification of Kyoto is of global importance'
Sibel Sezer Eralp, the president of REC-Turkey, said when Turkey ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, it will contribute to developments on the global level in the post-Kyoto era.
"Turkey's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol could even provide a more significant contribution to the international debate than Australia joining the Kyoto in 2007 because Turkey, with its own special circumstances, could bring a clear definition to the still unclear developed/developing countries definitions under the UNFCCC," she said.
As an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country, Turkey was included in Annex I of the UNFCCC in 1992 and even in Annex II, the list of relatively advanced industrialized countries that have committed themselves to financial and technical transfers to developing countries. Following objections from Turkey, it was eventually removed from Annex II. But as a non-signatory to the original 1997 protocol, it was also not included in Annex B, freeing it from emission reduction commitments. At the end, Turkey was ranked as an "advanced developing country" making it comparable to those of other non-EU developing countries within the OECD.
"So Turkey, as a non-EU member country and as a country not in Annex B, but as country which is a member of the OECD, could cooperate with all countries like South Korea and Mexico, falling under the category of 'advanced developing country'," she said.
Turkey's per capita emissions in 2003 amounted to 4.1 tons per year, which was two-and-a-half times lower than average per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the then EU-25 and more than three times less than the average for all Annex I countries. Its potential to rapidly increase its emissions is high, however, because it has a high number of development projects.
Greece suspended from UN Kyoto carbon trading
Greece has been suspended from UN carbon trading in an unprecedented punishment for violating greenhouse gas reporting rules that underpin a fight against global warming, officials said on Tuesday.
A group of legal experts enforcing compliance with the UN's Kyoto Protocol also said it was opening proceedings against Canada for alleged violations of rules on accounting for heat-trapping gases.
"Greece is declared to be in non-compliance," the enforcement branch said in a statement distributed by the Bonn-based UN Climate Change Secretariat, the first such ruling since Kyoto entered into force in 2005.
Athens had failed to maintain a proper national system for recording greenhouse gas emissions, key to ensuring compliance with the protocol seeking to slow temperature rises that could bring more floods, droughts, heat waves and rising seas.
The Kyoto Protocol imposes a cap on emissions of greenhouse gases by some 37 industrialized countries but allows them to meet their targets by paying for emissions cuts elsewhere, such as in the developing world or former East Bloc nations.
The ruling means that Greece is barred from such offsetting except under one track of emissions trading with former communist countries. Greek companies would still be able to take part in a European Union market for carbon dioxide.
Greece's emissions were running some 26 percent above 1990 levels in 2006, slightly above Greece's Kyoto target of no more than 25 percent above 1990 levels between 2008-12. As a result it has little need to buy offsets.
The enforcement branch also said that Canada had failed to provide a proper registry for greenhouse gases and had missed a Jan. 1, 2007 reporting deadline by more than two months. The Canadian finding was preliminary and needed further research before any final rulings.
Canada's emissions were 25.3 percent above 1990 levels in 2005, far above a Kyoto target of a 6 percent cut by 2008-12. Canada has said its target is unachievable, as it develops oil sands which involve high carbon emissions.
Oslo, London Reuters
04.06.2008
News
YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143851
Jun 1, 2008
Wind Power Plants in Cesme
Fifteen wind power plants coming to Çeşme
Fifteen wind power plants at a total cost of 460 million euros will be established over the next three years on the Çeşme peninsula, an area with the highest terrestrial wind potential in Europe.
The issuance of licenses for wind power plants had been halted for 10 years due to lack of transmission lines to the region. However, the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) has approved the applications for 15 wind power plant licenses from major conglomerates, including Çalık, ENDA, Ayen, Güriş and Bilgin Enerji. The plants will have electric capacity varying between 10 megawatts (MW) and 50 MW. When completed the total capacity of plants in Çeşme will be 426 MW and the annual electricity production will reach 1.6 million kilowatt hours (KWh). EPDK President Hasan Köktaş told the Anatolia news agency that this is a major step in turning Çeşme's energy potential into actual electricity. Köktaş said the private companies that acquired the licenses in the region would also undertake the installation of transmission lines to the national electricity grid, which, he stated, will cost around 10 million euros.
Currently there are 13 wind power plants in Turkey with 249 MW capacity; this number will climb to over 470 MW with the addition of four new power plants by the end of this year.
02.06.2008
Business
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143619
Fifteen wind power plants at a total cost of 460 million euros will be established over the next three years on the Çeşme peninsula, an area with the highest terrestrial wind potential in Europe.
The issuance of licenses for wind power plants had been halted for 10 years due to lack of transmission lines to the region. However, the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) has approved the applications for 15 wind power plant licenses from major conglomerates, including Çalık, ENDA, Ayen, Güriş and Bilgin Enerji. The plants will have electric capacity varying between 10 megawatts (MW) and 50 MW. When completed the total capacity of plants in Çeşme will be 426 MW and the annual electricity production will reach 1.6 million kilowatt hours (KWh). EPDK President Hasan Köktaş told the Anatolia news agency that this is a major step in turning Çeşme's energy potential into actual electricity. Köktaş said the private companies that acquired the licenses in the region would also undertake the installation of transmission lines to the national electricity grid, which, he stated, will cost around 10 million euros.
Currently there are 13 wind power plants in Turkey with 249 MW capacity; this number will climb to over 470 MW with the addition of four new power plants by the end of this year.
02.06.2008
Business
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143619
High time to ratify Kyoto (Op Ed, Today's Zaman)
High time to ratify Kyoto
by HALUK ÖZDALGA*
Solar energy constitutes the very basis of the world's climate system. Today 30 percent of the light from the sun, whose energy totals more than 10,000 times the world's current energy consumption, is reflected by bright surfaces like deserts, snow and ice.
The remaining 70 percent heats the world's water and land masses. Just like the sun, our heated globe emits its energy rays. According to computer calculations, without the gas layer that we call the atmosphere, the world's average temperature would have been an unbearable minus 18 degrees Celsius. Thank God the atmosphere surrounding the globe keeps most of these energy rays in, just like a blanket, thus raising the average heat to an optimal level of 15 degrees. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and some other gases, called sera gases, play an indispensable role in this process. Sera gases, while allowing penetration of solar rays owing to their short wavelength, resend most rays emitted from the globe.
Turkey: Europe's only holdout on Kyoto
Unlike our world, the average temperature on Mars is minus 60 degrees Celsius simply because it is more distant from the sun and its thin atmospheric layer does not include sera gases. In contrast, the average temperature on Venus, whose atmosphere includes large amounts of sera gases, is around a searing 470 degrees Celsius. As a result of the intense human activities accompanying rapid industrialization, the amount of sera gas emissions has significantly pushed up the earth's average temperature (global warming). This naturally affects earth's delicate environmental and climatic balances, including rain and air movements. The world is currently facing a serious challenge of total climate change. Here I will not go into detail about the global problems such as warming, rising sea levels, droughts, cyclones and other threats, as a number of scholars, including Nobel laureates, continue to stress these issues. But it is undeniable that along with terrorism, climate change is one of the top issues dominating international discussions on the global level.
Legal and diplomatic work to counter global climate change is carried out under the United Nations Climate Change Framework Agreement. The famous pact of this framework agreement is the Kyoto Protocol, which calls on its signatory states to reduce the amount of sera gases emitted by industrialized countries. To date 179 countries have ratified the protocol, which was signed in 1997 and came into force in early 2005. These include about 140 developing countries, including China, Brazil and India. The few countries that have not ratified the protocol include the US. For this reason, the EU has assumed the mantle of leadership in efforts against global climate change. There are 16 other countries that have failed to ratify Kyoto, including Turkey, Chad, Timor, Zimbabwe, Iraq and Afghanistan. No European country besides Turkey has declined to ratify Kyoto. The implementation of Kyoto will be over by 2012, but a new protocol to replace it covering the period from 2013 to 2020 will probably be passed at the Copenhagen Conference in 2009.
Misinformation on Kyoto's cost
It is high time that Turkey ratifies Kyoto, and along these lines it should be noted that frequent statements by some officials on the protocol's cost have been inaccurate. Turkey has no emission reduction obligations, and it will incur none even when it becomes party to Kyoto. As such, there will be no cost at all. This is made clear under international law; by ratifying Kyoto, Turkey will not be obligated to reduce its emissions of sera gases until after 2012. For this reason, Kyoto's price tag is zero. The much-hyped cost estimates by some officials lack any scientific basis. Besides, what should be kept in mind are not simple cost figures but the bottom line under cost-benefit analysis.
It remains unclear what obligations countries will assume post-2012. These obligations will be determined in the negotiations to be completed by the 2009 conference. But due to its failure to ratify the protocol, Turkey lacks an effective voice or influence over the course of these negotiations. When it ratifies Kyoto, however, Turkey will have the opportunity to take a more assertive and a more effective stance in the negotiations. We should bear in mind that during these negotiations, there is no way Turkey would be subject to impositions. However, by forsaking a seat at the negotiating table, Turkey is creating a risky situation for itself.
After the political decision is taken, the process for Turkey's official accession to Kyoto will take some months. It must first be discussed and endorsed by the relevant parliamentary commissions and then reviewed by the full Parliament, which will make a final decision on the matter. Following the deposition of ratification documents to the United Nations, there will be a 90-day waiting period. A conference set to take place in Poland will be an important venue for the discussion of the new post-2012 regime. Taking part in this conference as an official party would clearly be to Turkey's advantage. To do this, Parliament should ratify Kyoto before it goes on recess in July. Unless it intends to remain a bystander to the global struggle against climate change carried out under United Nations auspices, Turkey has no reason to postpone ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Sitting out these efforts is not a realistic option. The Kyoto Protocol falls under EU legislation on the environment and for this reason, during Turkey's membership negotiations we will face pressure from the EU to ratify it. From this standpoint, the Kyoto Protocol may be compared to the issue of Cyprus.
Failure to ratify the most important framework agreement promoted by the UN would also not help to Turkey's ambition to secure a temporary seat on the UN Security Council for the upcoming term. In addition, it is already clear that the US president taking office next year, whoever he or she is, will follow a more constructive policy toward Kyoto. The US will likely ratify Kyoto or go into a firmer cooperation with the EU under this new president. This would make Turkey the biggest remaining holdout on Kyoto, thus making it subject to considerable international challenges and pressure.
A negotiation strategy is a must
Turkey is losing out in other areas due to its failure to ratify Kyoto. While China has received sizable funds through Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) to promote investments based on reduced carbon emissions, Turkey has been ineligible to benefit from this resource. Likewise, Turkey-based carbon certificates remain undervalued on international carbon markets. Recent years have seen important technological advancements in the capture and storage of carbon, and further advancements are expected in the near future. As Turkey's energy consumption is heavily dependent on fossil fuels and is likely to remain so for a time, it must try to take advantage of these innovative new technologies.
Ratification of Kyoto would not be the end of the process; quite the contrary, the subsequent months and years would require greater efforts and harder work. Kyoto is a complex international policy issue. The issue is filled with complicated technical, diplomatic and legal aspects. The current negotiations between over 170 countries are being carried out between groups formed by different countries. Turkey has to hone its standards and strategy in the negotiations so it can improve its performance over what happened in Bali last December.
The priority must be to form a negotiation strategy and work to gain inclusion in one of the negotiation groups. Turkey should also seek coordinated action that is in line with its EU candidacy. The negotiations should be headed by a politically responsible figure with a clear mandate. A separate unit responsible for climate change should also be set up. This unit, which needs to act to gradually become a national institution responsible for climate change, should closely cooperate with private sector and NGOs.
I hope that the process to ratify Kyoto will soon be launched and that its ratification instrument is passed by Parliament before it adjourns. I strongly hope and believe that all parties in Parliament will extend their support for such a step, which would help Turkey's efforts for climate change actions and embrace sustainable development, and that positive results will emerge from this broad multiparty support.
*Haluk Özdalga is chairman of Parliament's Environment Commission.
01.06.2008
Op-Ed
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143527
by HALUK ÖZDALGA*
Solar energy constitutes the very basis of the world's climate system. Today 30 percent of the light from the sun, whose energy totals more than 10,000 times the world's current energy consumption, is reflected by bright surfaces like deserts, snow and ice.
The remaining 70 percent heats the world's water and land masses. Just like the sun, our heated globe emits its energy rays. According to computer calculations, without the gas layer that we call the atmosphere, the world's average temperature would have been an unbearable minus 18 degrees Celsius. Thank God the atmosphere surrounding the globe keeps most of these energy rays in, just like a blanket, thus raising the average heat to an optimal level of 15 degrees. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and some other gases, called sera gases, play an indispensable role in this process. Sera gases, while allowing penetration of solar rays owing to their short wavelength, resend most rays emitted from the globe.
Turkey: Europe's only holdout on Kyoto
Unlike our world, the average temperature on Mars is minus 60 degrees Celsius simply because it is more distant from the sun and its thin atmospheric layer does not include sera gases. In contrast, the average temperature on Venus, whose atmosphere includes large amounts of sera gases, is around a searing 470 degrees Celsius. As a result of the intense human activities accompanying rapid industrialization, the amount of sera gas emissions has significantly pushed up the earth's average temperature (global warming). This naturally affects earth's delicate environmental and climatic balances, including rain and air movements. The world is currently facing a serious challenge of total climate change. Here I will not go into detail about the global problems such as warming, rising sea levels, droughts, cyclones and other threats, as a number of scholars, including Nobel laureates, continue to stress these issues. But it is undeniable that along with terrorism, climate change is one of the top issues dominating international discussions on the global level.
Legal and diplomatic work to counter global climate change is carried out under the United Nations Climate Change Framework Agreement. The famous pact of this framework agreement is the Kyoto Protocol, which calls on its signatory states to reduce the amount of sera gases emitted by industrialized countries. To date 179 countries have ratified the protocol, which was signed in 1997 and came into force in early 2005. These include about 140 developing countries, including China, Brazil and India. The few countries that have not ratified the protocol include the US. For this reason, the EU has assumed the mantle of leadership in efforts against global climate change. There are 16 other countries that have failed to ratify Kyoto, including Turkey, Chad, Timor, Zimbabwe, Iraq and Afghanistan. No European country besides Turkey has declined to ratify Kyoto. The implementation of Kyoto will be over by 2012, but a new protocol to replace it covering the period from 2013 to 2020 will probably be passed at the Copenhagen Conference in 2009.
Misinformation on Kyoto's cost
It is high time that Turkey ratifies Kyoto, and along these lines it should be noted that frequent statements by some officials on the protocol's cost have been inaccurate. Turkey has no emission reduction obligations, and it will incur none even when it becomes party to Kyoto. As such, there will be no cost at all. This is made clear under international law; by ratifying Kyoto, Turkey will not be obligated to reduce its emissions of sera gases until after 2012. For this reason, Kyoto's price tag is zero. The much-hyped cost estimates by some officials lack any scientific basis. Besides, what should be kept in mind are not simple cost figures but the bottom line under cost-benefit analysis.
It remains unclear what obligations countries will assume post-2012. These obligations will be determined in the negotiations to be completed by the 2009 conference. But due to its failure to ratify the protocol, Turkey lacks an effective voice or influence over the course of these negotiations. When it ratifies Kyoto, however, Turkey will have the opportunity to take a more assertive and a more effective stance in the negotiations. We should bear in mind that during these negotiations, there is no way Turkey would be subject to impositions. However, by forsaking a seat at the negotiating table, Turkey is creating a risky situation for itself.
After the political decision is taken, the process for Turkey's official accession to Kyoto will take some months. It must first be discussed and endorsed by the relevant parliamentary commissions and then reviewed by the full Parliament, which will make a final decision on the matter. Following the deposition of ratification documents to the United Nations, there will be a 90-day waiting period. A conference set to take place in Poland will be an important venue for the discussion of the new post-2012 regime. Taking part in this conference as an official party would clearly be to Turkey's advantage. To do this, Parliament should ratify Kyoto before it goes on recess in July. Unless it intends to remain a bystander to the global struggle against climate change carried out under United Nations auspices, Turkey has no reason to postpone ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Sitting out these efforts is not a realistic option. The Kyoto Protocol falls under EU legislation on the environment and for this reason, during Turkey's membership negotiations we will face pressure from the EU to ratify it. From this standpoint, the Kyoto Protocol may be compared to the issue of Cyprus.
Failure to ratify the most important framework agreement promoted by the UN would also not help to Turkey's ambition to secure a temporary seat on the UN Security Council for the upcoming term. In addition, it is already clear that the US president taking office next year, whoever he or she is, will follow a more constructive policy toward Kyoto. The US will likely ratify Kyoto or go into a firmer cooperation with the EU under this new president. This would make Turkey the biggest remaining holdout on Kyoto, thus making it subject to considerable international challenges and pressure.
A negotiation strategy is a must
Turkey is losing out in other areas due to its failure to ratify Kyoto. While China has received sizable funds through Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) to promote investments based on reduced carbon emissions, Turkey has been ineligible to benefit from this resource. Likewise, Turkey-based carbon certificates remain undervalued on international carbon markets. Recent years have seen important technological advancements in the capture and storage of carbon, and further advancements are expected in the near future. As Turkey's energy consumption is heavily dependent on fossil fuels and is likely to remain so for a time, it must try to take advantage of these innovative new technologies.
Ratification of Kyoto would not be the end of the process; quite the contrary, the subsequent months and years would require greater efforts and harder work. Kyoto is a complex international policy issue. The issue is filled with complicated technical, diplomatic and legal aspects. The current negotiations between over 170 countries are being carried out between groups formed by different countries. Turkey has to hone its standards and strategy in the negotiations so it can improve its performance over what happened in Bali last December.
The priority must be to form a negotiation strategy and work to gain inclusion in one of the negotiation groups. Turkey should also seek coordinated action that is in line with its EU candidacy. The negotiations should be headed by a politically responsible figure with a clear mandate. A separate unit responsible for climate change should also be set up. This unit, which needs to act to gradually become a national institution responsible for climate change, should closely cooperate with private sector and NGOs.
I hope that the process to ratify Kyoto will soon be launched and that its ratification instrument is passed by Parliament before it adjourns. I strongly hope and believe that all parties in Parliament will extend their support for such a step, which would help Turkey's efforts for climate change actions and embrace sustainable development, and that positive results will emerge from this broad multiparty support.
*Haluk Özdalga is chairman of Parliament's Environment Commission.
01.06.2008
Op-Ed
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=143527
İş Bankası'dan ilk 'Çevreye Yatırım Fonu' (3)
İş Bankası'dan ilk 'Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'
30.05.2008 - 17:09
Özince, fonun yatırımlarını çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendireceğini belirtti
İSTANBUL - Türkiye İş Bankası, Türkiye'nin ilk Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nu kurdu.
Çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin menkul kıymetlerinden oluşturulacak fonun TEMA Vehbi Koç Doğa Kültür Merkezi'nde gerçekleştirilen tanıtım toplantısında konuşan Türkiye İş Bankası Genel Müdürü Ersin Özince, "Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek" dedi.
Özince, Türkiye'nin Karbondioksit emisyonunda Avrupa klasmanına girerek, 7'nci sırada yer aldığına işaret eden Özince, bunun çok üzüntü verici bir şey olduğunu dile getirdi. Yakın zamanda kuraklık sebebiyle tarım ürünleri fiyatlarında bir artış yaşandığına dikkat çeken Özince, "30 senelik enflasyonu kırdık diyorduk. Bir yandan enerji, bir yandan gıda fiyatlarıyla beraber enflasyon yeniden hortlayacak" diye konuştu.
Türkiye İş Bankası olarak Türkiye'de ilk çevreye yatırım fonunu, 20. Yatırım fonu olarak kendilerinin kurduğunu ifade eden Özince, bu tür fonların 1995 yılından beri dünyada oluşturulduğunu, Kyoto Protokolüne imza atmamış ABD'de bile yatırım fonları piyasasının yüzde 11'ini çevre duyarlı fonların oluşturduğunu kaydetti.
Ersin Özince, fon oluşturulurken dünyadaki en iyi örneklerin analiz edildiğini, bu çalışmada Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ve Koç Üniversitesi gibi üniversitelerden akademisyenlerin danışmanlığını aldıklarını, bu sayede çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin saptanması çalışmalarını yürüttüklerini belirtti. Özince, "Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek" diye konuştu.
Ersin Özince, oluşturulan fonun yönetiminin de Türkiye İş Bankası iştiraki İş Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş tarafından yapılacağını dile getirdi.
"Açlık terörizmden daha tehlikelidir"
TEMA Vakfı Onursal Başkanı Hayrettin Karaca da, toplantıda yaptığı konuşmada, iklim değişikliğinin kuraklık ile beraber artık iyice hissedildiğini ifade ederek, bu durumun getirdiği değişikliklerin halen daha farkında olunmadığını söyledi. Karaca, dünyada gıda fiyatlarında artış yaşandığını ve IMF, Dünya Bankası ve BM Başkanlarının hep aynı şeyin altını çizerek, "Açlık terörizmden daha tehlikelidir. Açlık yüzünden savaşlar olacaktır, insanlar birbirini yiyecektir" dediklerini hatırlattı. Gıda fiyatlarının artma sebebinin, dünya topraklarının verebilecekleri en üst seviyede kullanılması olduğunu kaydeden Karaca, gübreleme, bilinçsiz sürme ve ilaçlama ile toprağın canının alındığını böylece ürün azalmasının meydana geldiğini anlattı.
"20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kuruldu"
İş Bankası Genel Müdür Yardımcısı Özcan Türkakın, Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nun B tipi değişken fon türünde olduğunu, ihracına bugün başlanan fonun 20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kurulduğunu ve bu miktarın ilgiye göre büyüyebileceğini söyledi.
Türkakın, fonun portföy yönetim komisyonun yarısının TEMA projelerine ayrılacağını kaydetti. Fonu oluştururken borsada işlem gören şirketlerin çevreye duyarlılık durumlarını ve sertifikalarını gözden geçirdiklerini söyleyen Türkakın, fonun ilk etapta "TSKB, Arçelik, Zorlu Enerji, Tofaş Fabrika ve Eczacıbaşı İlaç" gibi 5 şirketten oluşturulduğunu anlattı.
Ersin Özince ise "Bir fidan dikiyorsunuz bu büyür mü diyorsunuz? Ümit ederim daha da büyür. İlk yıl TEMA'ya en az 300 bin YTL komisyon payı düşsün, bunu arzu ediyoruz. Bu fon hediye edilebilir, çocuğunuz için alınabilir. Ne kadar paylaşılırsa o kadar büyüyecek" diye konuştu.
TEMA Vakfı Yönetim kurulu Başkanı Ümit Yaşar Gürses'in de hazır bulunduğu toplantıya TEMA gönüllüsü ilköğretim öğrencileri de katıldı.
Toplantının ardından sembolik olarak bir de fidan dikildi.
"IMF'nin önderlik yaptığını düşünmüyorum"
Toplantının ardından basın mensuplarıyla sohbet eden Ersin Özince, şunları kaydetti:
"Tarımda mutlaka üretmemiz lazım. Kısa vadede endişeler olsa da çiftçinin desteklenmesi gerek. Ben uluslararası kuruluşların, Uluslararası Para Fonu'nun (IMF) dahil bu konuda önderlik yaptığını düşünmüyorum. Kısa vadede bu sübvansiyonun ekonomiyi ve serbest piyasayı bozacağı düşünülüyor bu doğru. Ancak uzun vadede düşündüğümüzde, Fransa'nın neden çiftçisini düşündüğünü anlayabiliyorsunuz. Çiftçiye yapılacak en önemli destek eğitim ve bilinçlendirme.
http://www.dunyagazetesi.com.tr/haber.asp?id=10786&cDate=
30.05.2008 - 17:09
Özince, fonun yatırımlarını çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendireceğini belirtti
İSTANBUL - Türkiye İş Bankası, Türkiye'nin ilk Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nu kurdu.
Çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin menkul kıymetlerinden oluşturulacak fonun TEMA Vehbi Koç Doğa Kültür Merkezi'nde gerçekleştirilen tanıtım toplantısında konuşan Türkiye İş Bankası Genel Müdürü Ersin Özince, "Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek" dedi.
Özince, Türkiye'nin Karbondioksit emisyonunda Avrupa klasmanına girerek, 7'nci sırada yer aldığına işaret eden Özince, bunun çok üzüntü verici bir şey olduğunu dile getirdi. Yakın zamanda kuraklık sebebiyle tarım ürünleri fiyatlarında bir artış yaşandığına dikkat çeken Özince, "30 senelik enflasyonu kırdık diyorduk. Bir yandan enerji, bir yandan gıda fiyatlarıyla beraber enflasyon yeniden hortlayacak" diye konuştu.
Türkiye İş Bankası olarak Türkiye'de ilk çevreye yatırım fonunu, 20. Yatırım fonu olarak kendilerinin kurduğunu ifade eden Özince, bu tür fonların 1995 yılından beri dünyada oluşturulduğunu, Kyoto Protokolüne imza atmamış ABD'de bile yatırım fonları piyasasının yüzde 11'ini çevre duyarlı fonların oluşturduğunu kaydetti.
Ersin Özince, fon oluşturulurken dünyadaki en iyi örneklerin analiz edildiğini, bu çalışmada Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ve Koç Üniversitesi gibi üniversitelerden akademisyenlerin danışmanlığını aldıklarını, bu sayede çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin saptanması çalışmalarını yürüttüklerini belirtti. Özince, "Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek" diye konuştu.
Ersin Özince, oluşturulan fonun yönetiminin de Türkiye İş Bankası iştiraki İş Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş tarafından yapılacağını dile getirdi.
"Açlık terörizmden daha tehlikelidir"
TEMA Vakfı Onursal Başkanı Hayrettin Karaca da, toplantıda yaptığı konuşmada, iklim değişikliğinin kuraklık ile beraber artık iyice hissedildiğini ifade ederek, bu durumun getirdiği değişikliklerin halen daha farkında olunmadığını söyledi. Karaca, dünyada gıda fiyatlarında artış yaşandığını ve IMF, Dünya Bankası ve BM Başkanlarının hep aynı şeyin altını çizerek, "Açlık terörizmden daha tehlikelidir. Açlık yüzünden savaşlar olacaktır, insanlar birbirini yiyecektir" dediklerini hatırlattı. Gıda fiyatlarının artma sebebinin, dünya topraklarının verebilecekleri en üst seviyede kullanılması olduğunu kaydeden Karaca, gübreleme, bilinçsiz sürme ve ilaçlama ile toprağın canının alındığını böylece ürün azalmasının meydana geldiğini anlattı.
"20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kuruldu"
İş Bankası Genel Müdür Yardımcısı Özcan Türkakın, Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nun B tipi değişken fon türünde olduğunu, ihracına bugün başlanan fonun 20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kurulduğunu ve bu miktarın ilgiye göre büyüyebileceğini söyledi.
Türkakın, fonun portföy yönetim komisyonun yarısının TEMA projelerine ayrılacağını kaydetti. Fonu oluştururken borsada işlem gören şirketlerin çevreye duyarlılık durumlarını ve sertifikalarını gözden geçirdiklerini söyleyen Türkakın, fonun ilk etapta "TSKB, Arçelik, Zorlu Enerji, Tofaş Fabrika ve Eczacıbaşı İlaç" gibi 5 şirketten oluşturulduğunu anlattı.
Ersin Özince ise "Bir fidan dikiyorsunuz bu büyür mü diyorsunuz? Ümit ederim daha da büyür. İlk yıl TEMA'ya en az 300 bin YTL komisyon payı düşsün, bunu arzu ediyoruz. Bu fon hediye edilebilir, çocuğunuz için alınabilir. Ne kadar paylaşılırsa o kadar büyüyecek" diye konuştu.
TEMA Vakfı Yönetim kurulu Başkanı Ümit Yaşar Gürses'in de hazır bulunduğu toplantıya TEMA gönüllüsü ilköğretim öğrencileri de katıldı.
Toplantının ardından sembolik olarak bir de fidan dikildi.
"IMF'nin önderlik yaptığını düşünmüyorum"
Toplantının ardından basın mensuplarıyla sohbet eden Ersin Özince, şunları kaydetti:
"Tarımda mutlaka üretmemiz lazım. Kısa vadede endişeler olsa da çiftçinin desteklenmesi gerek. Ben uluslararası kuruluşların, Uluslararası Para Fonu'nun (IMF) dahil bu konuda önderlik yaptığını düşünmüyorum. Kısa vadede bu sübvansiyonun ekonomiyi ve serbest piyasayı bozacağı düşünülüyor bu doğru. Ancak uzun vadede düşündüğümüzde, Fransa'nın neden çiftçisini düşündüğünü anlayabiliyorsunuz. Çiftçiye yapılacak en önemli destek eğitim ve bilinçlendirme.
http://www.dunyagazetesi.com.tr/haber.asp?id=10786&cDate=
İş Bankası Çevreye Yatırım Fonu kurdu (2)
İş Bankası Çevreye Yatırım Fonu kurdu
31.05.2008 Anadolu Ajansı Haber
İş Bankası, Türkiye'nin ilk Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nu kurdu. 20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kurulan fonun portföy yönetim komisyonunun yarısı TEMA projelerine ayrılacak. Çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin menkul kıymetlerinden oluşturulacak fonun tanıtım toplantısında konuşan İş Bankası Genel Müdürü Ersin Özince, "İlk yıl TEMA'ya en az 300 bin YTL komisyon payı düşsün istiyoruz" dedi. B Tipi değişken fonun yatırımlarını çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendireceğini belirten Özince, "Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek" dedi.
5 şirketten oluşuyor
Çevreye Yatırım Fonu, ilk etapta TSKB, Arçelik, Zorlu Enerji, Tofaş Fabrika ve Eczacıbaşı İlaç gibi 5 şirketten oluşuyor. Fonun yönetiminin İş Portföy Yönetimi tarafından yürütüleceğini belirten Özince, İş Bankası ile İş Portföy'ün güncel gelişmeleri izleyerek portföydeki şirket sayısını artırıp, azaltabileceklerini söyledi. 1986 yılından beri 19 yatırım fonu kurduklarını kaydeden Özince, Türkiye'deki ilk çevreye yatırım fonun da böylece kendilerine ait olduğunu ifade etti. Bu tür fonların 1995 yılından beri dünyada oluşturulduğunu da belirten Özince, Kyoto Protokolü'ne imza atmamış ABD'de bile yatırım fonları piyasasının yüzde 11'ini çevre duyarlı fonların oluşturduğunu kaydetti. Özince, fon oluşturulurken dünyadaki en iyi örneklerin analiz edildiğini, Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ve Koç Üniversitesi gibi üniversitelerden danışmanlık aldıklarını da vurguladı.
http://www.referansgazetesi.com/haber.aspx?HBR_KOD=98217
31.05.2008 Anadolu Ajansı Haber
İş Bankası, Türkiye'nin ilk Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nu kurdu. 20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kurulan fonun portföy yönetim komisyonunun yarısı TEMA projelerine ayrılacak. Çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin menkul kıymetlerinden oluşturulacak fonun tanıtım toplantısında konuşan İş Bankası Genel Müdürü Ersin Özince, "İlk yıl TEMA'ya en az 300 bin YTL komisyon payı düşsün istiyoruz" dedi. B Tipi değişken fonun yatırımlarını çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendireceğini belirten Özince, "Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek" dedi.
5 şirketten oluşuyor
Çevreye Yatırım Fonu, ilk etapta TSKB, Arçelik, Zorlu Enerji, Tofaş Fabrika ve Eczacıbaşı İlaç gibi 5 şirketten oluşuyor. Fonun yönetiminin İş Portföy Yönetimi tarafından yürütüleceğini belirten Özince, İş Bankası ile İş Portföy'ün güncel gelişmeleri izleyerek portföydeki şirket sayısını artırıp, azaltabileceklerini söyledi. 1986 yılından beri 19 yatırım fonu kurduklarını kaydeden Özince, Türkiye'deki ilk çevreye yatırım fonun da böylece kendilerine ait olduğunu ifade etti. Bu tür fonların 1995 yılından beri dünyada oluşturulduğunu da belirten Özince, Kyoto Protokolü'ne imza atmamış ABD'de bile yatırım fonları piyasasının yüzde 11'ini çevre duyarlı fonların oluşturduğunu kaydetti. Özince, fon oluşturulurken dünyadaki en iyi örneklerin analiz edildiğini, Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ve Koç Üniversitesi gibi üniversitelerden danışmanlık aldıklarını da vurguladı.
http://www.referansgazetesi.com/haber.aspx?HBR_KOD=98217
Türkiye'nin ilk Çevreye Yatırım Fonu (1)
Türkiye'nin ilk Çevreye Yatırım Fonu
30.05.2008
Özince, ''Böyle bir şeyin ilkini yapmaktan dolayı mutluyuz" dedi
Türkiye İş Bankası, Türkiye'nin ilk ''Çevreye Yatırım Fonu''nu kurdu.
Çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin menkul kıymetlerinden oluşturulacak fonun TEMA Vehbi Koç Doğa Kültür Merkezi'nde gerçekleştirilen tanıtım toplantısında konuşan Türkiye İş Bankası Genel Müdürü Ersin Özince, ''Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek'' dedi.
Özince, yıllarca cennet ülke diye tanımlanan Türkiye'de bile bugün çok ciddi çevre sorunları ile karşı karşıya olunduğunu, bu sorunların çevreden değil insan neslinden kaynaklandığını ifade ederek, çevre konusunda duyarlılık ve bilinç kazanmanın önemine değindi.
Türkiye'nin Karbondioksit emisyonunda Avrupa klasmanına girerek, 7. sırada yer aldığına işaret eden Özince, bunun çok üzüntü verici bir şey olduğunu dile getirdi.
Yakın zamanda kuraklık sebebiyle tarım ürünleri fiyatlarında bir artış yaşandığına dikkat çeken Özince, ''30 senelik enflasyonu kırdık diyorduk. Bir yandan enerji, bir yandan gıda fiyatlarıyla beraber enflasyon yeniden hortlayacak. Çevreyle ilgili yapacaklarımız da sınırlı. Su kaynaklarımızı çok kötü kullandık. Kişi başına düşen 1400 metre küp su ile su fakiri bir ülkeyiz'' diye konuştu.
Suyun özellikle tarımsal açıdan kötü kullanılmasından ve erozyonun olumsuz etkilerine karşı ciddi bir politika izlenmemesinden dolayı çevre konusunda geri dönülmez bir yerde olunduğunu vurgulayan Özince, ''Doğaya ve çevreye çok daha duyarlı yaklaşmak gerek'' dedi.
Özince, Türkiye İş Bankasının Türkiye'de kuruluş amacı gereği tasarrufların doğru yönlendirilmesi konusunda hep önderlik yaptığını, bu durumun yatırım fonlarında da geçerli olduğunu dile getirerek, 1986 yılında ilk yatırım fonunu kurduklarını bugüne kadar 19 yatırım fonu kurduklarını anlattı.
Türkiye İş Bankası olarak Türkiye'de ilk çevreye yatırım fonunu, 20. Yatırım fonu olarak kendilerinin kurduğunu ifade eden Özince, bu tür fonların 1995 yılından beri dünyada oluşturulduğunu, Kyoto Protokolüne imza atmamış ABD'de bile yatırım fonları piyasasının yüzde 11'ini çevre duyarlı fonların oluşturduğunu kaydetti.
Özince, ''Böyle bir şeyin ilkini yapmaktan dolayı mutluyuz. İş Bankası Tema ile birlikte kuracağı, yöneteceği ve yürüteceği fonun çevreye duyarlı vatandaşların da katılımıyla bir fidan gibi gelişme göstermesi ve ormanlara dönüşmesini diliyoruz'' diye konuştu.
Ersin Özince, fon oluşturulurken dünyadaki en iyi örneklerin analiz edildiğini, bu çalışmada Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ve Koç Üniversitesi gibi üniversitelerden akademisyenlerin danışmanlığını aldıklarını, bu sayede çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin saptanması çalışmalarını yürüttüklerini belirtti.
Özince, ''Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek'' diye konuştu.
Ersin Özince, oluşturulan fonun yönetiminin de Türkiye İş Bankası iştiraki İş Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş tarafından yapılacağını dile getirdi.
TEMA Vakfı Onursal Başkanı Hayrettin Karaca da, toplantıda yaptığı konuşmada, iklim değişikliğinin kuraklık ile beraber artık iyice hissedildiğini ifade ederek, bu durumun getirdiği değişikliklerin halen daha farkında olunmadığını söyledi.
Karaca, dünyada gıda fiyatlarında artış yaşandığını ve IMF, Dünya Bankası ve BM Başkanlarının hep aynı şeyin altını çizerek, ''Açlık terörizmden daha tehlikelidir. Açlık yüzünden savaşlar olacaktır, insanlar birbirini yiyecektir'' dediklerini hatırlattı.
Gıda fiyatlarının artma sebebinin, dünya topraklarının verebilecekleri en üst seviyede kullanılması olduğunu kaydeden Karaca, gübreleme, bilinçsiz sürme ve ilaçlama ile toprağın canının alındığını böylece ürün azalmasının meydana geldiğini anlattı.
Kuraklık ile mücadele konusunda bilinçlenmenin öneminin altını çizen Karaca, susuzluğa karşı yaşayabilecek ürünleri geliştirmenin de önemli olduğunu, bu sebeple ülkelerin son kuruşuna kadar AR-GE'ye yatırım yapmaları gerektiğini vurguladı.
İş Bankasının da bu doğrultuda çevreye duyarlı bir fon oluşturduğuna dikkat çeken Karaca, ''Böylece doğaya hizmet edebileceğimiz bir imkan daha yarattık. Kendilerini kutluyorum'' diye konuştu.
20 MİLYON YTL BAŞLANGIÇ SERMAYESİ İLE KURULDU
Konuşmaların ardından soruları cevaplayan İş Bankası Genel Müdür Yardımcısı Özcan Türkakın, Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nun B tipi değişken fon türünde olduğunu, ihracına bugün başlanan fonun 20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kurulduğunu ve bu miktarın ilgiye göre büyüyebileceğini söyledi.
Türkakın, fonun portföy yönetim komisyonun yarısının TEMA projelerine ayrılacağını kaydetti.
Fonu oluştururken borsada işlem gören şirketlerin çevreye duyarlılık durumlarını ve sertifikalarını gözden geçirdiklerini söyleyen Türkakın, fonun ilk etapta ''TSKB, Arçelik, Zorlu Enerji, Tofaş Fabrika ve Eczacıbaşı İlaç'' gibi 5 şirketten oluşturulduğunu anlattı.
Ersin Özince ise ''Bir fidan dikiyorsunuz bu büyür mü diyorsunuz? Ümit ederim daha da büyür. İlk yıl TEMA'ya en az 300 bin YTL komisyon payı düşsün, bunu arzu ediyoruz. Bu fon hediye edilebilir, çocuğunuz için alınabilir. Ne kadar paylaşılırsa o kadar büyüyecek'' diye konuştu.
TEMA Vakfı Yönetim kurulu Başkanı Ümit Yaşar Gürses'in de hazır bulunduğu toplantıya TEMA gönüllüsü ilköğretim öğrencileri de katıldı.
Toplantının ardından sembolik olarak bir de fidan dikildi.
TARIMSAL ÜRETİMDE IMF ÖNDERLİK YAPMIYOR
Toplantının ardından basın mensuplarıyla sohbet eden Ersin Özince, Terkos gölü tarafında bir tarlası olduğunun hatırlatılması üzerine, ilgilenemediğini ve tarlayı yarıcıya verdiğini, Ayçiçeği, Mısır ve Arpa ekildiğini kaydetti.
Özince, bununla amacının ticaret yapmak değil, ağaçların büyüdüğünü görmek olduğunu söyledi.
Özince, şunları kaydetti:
"Tarımda mutlaka üretmemiz lazım. Kısa vadede endişeler olsa da çiftçinin desteklenmesi gerek. Ben uluslararası kuruluşların, Uluslararası Para Fonu'nun (IMF) dahil bu konuda önderlik yaptığını düşünmüyorum. Kısa vadede bu sübvansiyonun ekonomiyi ve serbest piyasayı bozacağı düşünülüyor bu doğru. Ancak uzun vadede düşündüğümüzde, Fransa'nın neden çiftçisini düşündüğünü anlayabiliyorsunuz. Çiftçiye yapılacak en önemli destek eğitim ve bilinçlendirme. Bunun yanında çiftçinin cebine fiyatın yüzde 7'sinin girdiği söyleniyor. Bugün sulamayı öğretseniz bu kez 'Ürünü kime satacağım, doğru düzgün fiyat bulabilecek miyim?' gibi sorular çıkıyor önüne. Piyasayı çözmesi gerekiyor. Bu konuda devlet politikası lazım. Devletin onlarca işi teşvik etmesi gerekmiyor, ancak turizm, tarım, lojistik, finans gibi birkaç hayati sektörü seçip onun üzerine yoğunlaşması gerek. Bu sektörler hem katma değeri hem de istihdamı yüksek sektörler.''
http://www.haberturk.com/haber.asp?id=77592&cat=130&dt=2008/05/30
Link to İş Bankası website for details of joint Green Investment Fund with TEMA:
http://www.isbank.com.tr/yatirim/y-yatirim-temacevrefonu.html
30.05.2008
Özince, ''Böyle bir şeyin ilkini yapmaktan dolayı mutluyuz" dedi
Türkiye İş Bankası, Türkiye'nin ilk ''Çevreye Yatırım Fonu''nu kurdu.
Çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin menkul kıymetlerinden oluşturulacak fonun TEMA Vehbi Koç Doğa Kültür Merkezi'nde gerçekleştirilen tanıtım toplantısında konuşan Türkiye İş Bankası Genel Müdürü Ersin Özince, ''Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek'' dedi.
Özince, yıllarca cennet ülke diye tanımlanan Türkiye'de bile bugün çok ciddi çevre sorunları ile karşı karşıya olunduğunu, bu sorunların çevreden değil insan neslinden kaynaklandığını ifade ederek, çevre konusunda duyarlılık ve bilinç kazanmanın önemine değindi.
Türkiye'nin Karbondioksit emisyonunda Avrupa klasmanına girerek, 7. sırada yer aldığına işaret eden Özince, bunun çok üzüntü verici bir şey olduğunu dile getirdi.
Yakın zamanda kuraklık sebebiyle tarım ürünleri fiyatlarında bir artış yaşandığına dikkat çeken Özince, ''30 senelik enflasyonu kırdık diyorduk. Bir yandan enerji, bir yandan gıda fiyatlarıyla beraber enflasyon yeniden hortlayacak. Çevreyle ilgili yapacaklarımız da sınırlı. Su kaynaklarımızı çok kötü kullandık. Kişi başına düşen 1400 metre küp su ile su fakiri bir ülkeyiz'' diye konuştu.
Suyun özellikle tarımsal açıdan kötü kullanılmasından ve erozyonun olumsuz etkilerine karşı ciddi bir politika izlenmemesinden dolayı çevre konusunda geri dönülmez bir yerde olunduğunu vurgulayan Özince, ''Doğaya ve çevreye çok daha duyarlı yaklaşmak gerek'' dedi.
Özince, Türkiye İş Bankasının Türkiye'de kuruluş amacı gereği tasarrufların doğru yönlendirilmesi konusunda hep önderlik yaptığını, bu durumun yatırım fonlarında da geçerli olduğunu dile getirerek, 1986 yılında ilk yatırım fonunu kurduklarını bugüne kadar 19 yatırım fonu kurduklarını anlattı.
Türkiye İş Bankası olarak Türkiye'de ilk çevreye yatırım fonunu, 20. Yatırım fonu olarak kendilerinin kurduğunu ifade eden Özince, bu tür fonların 1995 yılından beri dünyada oluşturulduğunu, Kyoto Protokolüne imza atmamış ABD'de bile yatırım fonları piyasasının yüzde 11'ini çevre duyarlı fonların oluşturduğunu kaydetti.
Özince, ''Böyle bir şeyin ilkini yapmaktan dolayı mutluyuz. İş Bankası Tema ile birlikte kuracağı, yöneteceği ve yürüteceği fonun çevreye duyarlı vatandaşların da katılımıyla bir fidan gibi gelişme göstermesi ve ormanlara dönüşmesini diliyoruz'' diye konuştu.
Ersin Özince, fon oluşturulurken dünyadaki en iyi örneklerin analiz edildiğini, bu çalışmada Bilkent, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ve Koç Üniversitesi gibi üniversitelerden akademisyenlerin danışmanlığını aldıklarını, bu sayede çevreye duyarlı şirketlerin saptanması çalışmalarını yürüttüklerini belirtti.
Özince, ''Bu fon, yalnızca gelirlerinin bir kısmını TEMA Vakfı'nın çevre projelerinde kullanmayacak, aynı zamanda yatırımlarını da çevreye duyarlı şirketlere yönlendirecek. Çevreye zarar verdiği saptanan şirketlere yer vermeyecek'' diye konuştu.
Ersin Özince, oluşturulan fonun yönetiminin de Türkiye İş Bankası iştiraki İş Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş tarafından yapılacağını dile getirdi.
TEMA Vakfı Onursal Başkanı Hayrettin Karaca da, toplantıda yaptığı konuşmada, iklim değişikliğinin kuraklık ile beraber artık iyice hissedildiğini ifade ederek, bu durumun getirdiği değişikliklerin halen daha farkında olunmadığını söyledi.
Karaca, dünyada gıda fiyatlarında artış yaşandığını ve IMF, Dünya Bankası ve BM Başkanlarının hep aynı şeyin altını çizerek, ''Açlık terörizmden daha tehlikelidir. Açlık yüzünden savaşlar olacaktır, insanlar birbirini yiyecektir'' dediklerini hatırlattı.
Gıda fiyatlarının artma sebebinin, dünya topraklarının verebilecekleri en üst seviyede kullanılması olduğunu kaydeden Karaca, gübreleme, bilinçsiz sürme ve ilaçlama ile toprağın canının alındığını böylece ürün azalmasının meydana geldiğini anlattı.
Kuraklık ile mücadele konusunda bilinçlenmenin öneminin altını çizen Karaca, susuzluğa karşı yaşayabilecek ürünleri geliştirmenin de önemli olduğunu, bu sebeple ülkelerin son kuruşuna kadar AR-GE'ye yatırım yapmaları gerektiğini vurguladı.
İş Bankasının da bu doğrultuda çevreye duyarlı bir fon oluşturduğuna dikkat çeken Karaca, ''Böylece doğaya hizmet edebileceğimiz bir imkan daha yarattık. Kendilerini kutluyorum'' diye konuştu.
20 MİLYON YTL BAŞLANGIÇ SERMAYESİ İLE KURULDU
Konuşmaların ardından soruları cevaplayan İş Bankası Genel Müdür Yardımcısı Özcan Türkakın, Çevreye Yatırım Fonu'nun B tipi değişken fon türünde olduğunu, ihracına bugün başlanan fonun 20 milyon YTL başlangıç sermayesiyle kurulduğunu ve bu miktarın ilgiye göre büyüyebileceğini söyledi.
Türkakın, fonun portföy yönetim komisyonun yarısının TEMA projelerine ayrılacağını kaydetti.
Fonu oluştururken borsada işlem gören şirketlerin çevreye duyarlılık durumlarını ve sertifikalarını gözden geçirdiklerini söyleyen Türkakın, fonun ilk etapta ''TSKB, Arçelik, Zorlu Enerji, Tofaş Fabrika ve Eczacıbaşı İlaç'' gibi 5 şirketten oluşturulduğunu anlattı.
Ersin Özince ise ''Bir fidan dikiyorsunuz bu büyür mü diyorsunuz? Ümit ederim daha da büyür. İlk yıl TEMA'ya en az 300 bin YTL komisyon payı düşsün, bunu arzu ediyoruz. Bu fon hediye edilebilir, çocuğunuz için alınabilir. Ne kadar paylaşılırsa o kadar büyüyecek'' diye konuştu.
TEMA Vakfı Yönetim kurulu Başkanı Ümit Yaşar Gürses'in de hazır bulunduğu toplantıya TEMA gönüllüsü ilköğretim öğrencileri de katıldı.
Toplantının ardından sembolik olarak bir de fidan dikildi.
TARIMSAL ÜRETİMDE IMF ÖNDERLİK YAPMIYOR
Toplantının ardından basın mensuplarıyla sohbet eden Ersin Özince, Terkos gölü tarafında bir tarlası olduğunun hatırlatılması üzerine, ilgilenemediğini ve tarlayı yarıcıya verdiğini, Ayçiçeği, Mısır ve Arpa ekildiğini kaydetti.
Özince, bununla amacının ticaret yapmak değil, ağaçların büyüdüğünü görmek olduğunu söyledi.
Özince, şunları kaydetti:
"Tarımda mutlaka üretmemiz lazım. Kısa vadede endişeler olsa da çiftçinin desteklenmesi gerek. Ben uluslararası kuruluşların, Uluslararası Para Fonu'nun (IMF) dahil bu konuda önderlik yaptığını düşünmüyorum. Kısa vadede bu sübvansiyonun ekonomiyi ve serbest piyasayı bozacağı düşünülüyor bu doğru. Ancak uzun vadede düşündüğümüzde, Fransa'nın neden çiftçisini düşündüğünü anlayabiliyorsunuz. Çiftçiye yapılacak en önemli destek eğitim ve bilinçlendirme. Bunun yanında çiftçinin cebine fiyatın yüzde 7'sinin girdiği söyleniyor. Bugün sulamayı öğretseniz bu kez 'Ürünü kime satacağım, doğru düzgün fiyat bulabilecek miyim?' gibi sorular çıkıyor önüne. Piyasayı çözmesi gerekiyor. Bu konuda devlet politikası lazım. Devletin onlarca işi teşvik etmesi gerekmiyor, ancak turizm, tarım, lojistik, finans gibi birkaç hayati sektörü seçip onun üzerine yoğunlaşması gerek. Bu sektörler hem katma değeri hem de istihdamı yüksek sektörler.''
http://www.haberturk.com/haber.asp?id=77592&cat=130&dt=2008/05/30
Link to İş Bankası website for details of joint Green Investment Fund with TEMA:
http://www.isbank.com.tr/yatirim/y-yatirim-temacevrefonu.html
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