key themes of Turkish environmental policies, each including several experts from
universities, ministries, research organizations, NGOs and the private sector. As a
result, the national environmental action plan was adopted in 1998, and a number of
institutional and legislative environmental reforms have been put in place. In 2001,
Turkey’s Local Agenda 21 Programme was selected as a worldwide best practice
by the UNDP, and with its Sustainable Development Report (2012) it undertakes to
further enhance the programmes applied in the last ten years to contribute towards
accomplishing the sustainable development goals.
Turkey already has most of the necessary legislative and institutional requirements in place. Its efforts and achievements to address and overcome environmental
concerns and challenges should not be underestimated. Nevertheless, there are still
many environmental concerns and challenges that need to be dealt with, and Turkey
must find effective ways to cope with these challenges in order to produce environmental policies based on the sustainable development principle. The major
challenges, among others, are regressions through exceptions and exemptions
brought by amendments to the current legislation; the adoption of additional
exemptions which allow several large infrastructure projects to be excluded from
EIA procedures; ignorance of the necessity of establishing a balance between
environmental concerns over profit-orientated and/or development projects related
to energy, transport and infrastructure while designing and implementing these
projects; and cooperating with all stakeholders in decision- and policy-making
processes in line with the principle of governance.
Consequently, the standard of legislation and administration for environmental
protection still falls far below the desired level. This is because the transposition of
the acquis is not adequate for establishing policies which do not sacrifice environment in favour of development. If environmental legislation is not implemented
reasonably, correctly and in a timely manner, or complied with or enforced, a high
proportion of environmental protection just remains in theoretical form, and is not
reflected in practice, so its impact remains low, or even non-existent. Therefore,
together with establishing a legal and institutional basis, putting the promises and
commitments into action should be one of the fundamental objectives of environmental protection. It is necessary for the country to establish a well-structured and
well-functioning environmental management system, with the legal, administrative
and judicial capacity to ensure its successful implementation, compliance and enforcement (which can be used as a tool for providing both).
On the other hand, managing an effective system which ensures successful
implementation, compliance and enforcement in the environmental field is one of
the hardest challenges and has still not been fully achieved in Turkey. The findings
conveyed in different chapters of this book frankly display that even if there appears
to be a mechanism in Turkey, including rich legislation and institutionalization and
actively engaged participation in international efforts to deal with environmental
problems, this mechanism does not work without the will to take serious steps and
necessary measures in a timely fashion at the highest level and without taking into
account the balance between the protection of environment and development and
also the obligation to protect nature.
10 Conclusion: Creating a Path Forward for Turkish …
161
universities, ministries, research organizations, NGOs and the private sector. As a
result, the national environmental action plan was adopted in 1998, and a number of
institutional and legislative environmental reforms have been put in place. In 2001,
Turkey’s Local Agenda 21 Programme was selected as a worldwide best practice
by the UNDP, and with its Sustainable Development Report (2012) it undertakes to
further enhance the programmes applied in the last ten years to contribute towards
accomplishing the sustainable development goals.
Turkey already has most of the necessary legislative and institutional requirements in place. Its efforts and achievements to address and overcome environmental
concerns and challenges should not be underestimated. Nevertheless, there are still
many environmental concerns and challenges that need to be dealt with, and Turkey
must find effective ways to cope with these challenges in order to produce environmental policies based on the sustainable development principle. The major
challenges, among others, are regressions through exceptions and exemptions
brought by amendments to the current legislation; the adoption of additional
exemptions which allow several large infrastructure projects to be excluded from
EIA procedures; ignorance of the necessity of establishing a balance between
environmental concerns over profit-orientated and/or development projects related
to energy, transport and infrastructure while designing and implementing these
projects; and cooperating with all stakeholders in decision- and policy-making
processes in line with the principle of governance.
Consequently, the standard of legislation and administration for environmental
protection still falls far below the desired level. This is because the transposition of
the acquis is not adequate for establishing policies which do not sacrifice environment in favour of development. If environmental legislation is not implemented
reasonably, correctly and in a timely manner, or complied with or enforced, a high
proportion of environmental protection just remains in theoretical form, and is not
reflected in practice, so its impact remains low, or even non-existent. Therefore,
together with establishing a legal and institutional basis, putting the promises and
commitments into action should be one of the fundamental objectives of environmental protection. It is necessary for the country to establish a well-structured and
well-functioning environmental management system, with the legal, administrative
and judicial capacity to ensure its successful implementation, compliance and enforcement (which can be used as a tool for providing both).
On the other hand, managing an effective system which ensures successful
implementation, compliance and enforcement in the environmental field is one of
the hardest challenges and has still not been fully achieved in Turkey. The findings
conveyed in different chapters of this book frankly display that even if there appears
to be a mechanism in Turkey, including rich legislation and institutionalization and
actively engaged participation in international efforts to deal with environmental
problems, this mechanism does not work without the will to take serious steps and
necessary measures in a timely fashion at the highest level and without taking into
account the balance between the protection of environment and development and
also the obligation to protect nature.
10 Conclusion: Creating a Path Forward for Turkish …
161