InBusiness magazine, a sister publication of Daily Sabah under the Turkuvaz Media Group, hosted prominent names in their respective fields in its “Sustainable Century Webinar” held on Tuesday.
The event tackled the outcome of the United Nations Climate Conference, otherwise known as COP27, and focused on a road map to sustainability in Türkiye.
Speaking at the webinar, Orhan Solak, head of the Department of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, said Türkiye is located in the Mediterranean basin, one of the most sensitive regions in terms of the impact of climate change, and we witness disasters related to climate change increasing in quantity and density day by day. “2022 has been a year our country and the world were embattled with disasters related to climate change,” he pointed out. “Climate change is an issue beyond politics and affects every part of society, with its environmental, economic and social impact. So, urgent and efficient measures are required to fight it. Our country took important policy steps in recent years in the fight against climate change. Last year, our president announced the 2053 net-zero emission goal and Türkiye ratified the Paris Agreement and this sped up our work against climate change. Preparations are made for a Climate Law and it will define a framework for every agency and institution’s responsibility on this issue. Türkiye will also enact an Emissions Trading System,” he said. Solak, who is the first chair of his department established in 2021, said this step was also important. “Our department is responsible for conducting international negotiations on the issue, defining national policies, strategy and actions and realizing changes necessary for green transformation in all sectors through coordination with relevant agencies,” he said.
Solak said they established a climate change platform to bring together all relevant parties and data dealing with climate change and were engaged in analyzing risks and preparing adaption strategies and action plans, both on national and regional levels, as well as capacity building and providing loans to help different sectors and individuals to cope with the impact of climate change.
Speaking at the event, Adnan Altay Altınörs, the deputy head of the Foreign Ministry's General Directorate of Environment, Climate Change and Trans-boundary Waters, lamented the fact that climate negotiations resulted in little progress despite “spectacular climate conferences,” referring to the recent COP27 gathering where “high-ranking officials issued messages but those did not translate into action.” He said COP27’s most significant outcome was the establishment of a “loss and damage fund” but this was only “a decision” just yet. He noted that there would be a heated debate on which countries will benefit from the fund and which ones would contribute to it. “So, 2023 will be a difficult year. It won’t be only about the fund and will be a year when we will see a review of commitments to curb emissions,” he said. He noted that the international community registered a 14.5% rise in the reduction of emissions since 2010 but this figure was earlier projected as 45%.
