submitting its INDC with a greenhouse gas reduction target on 30 September
2015,
22 Turkey also signed the PCA on 22 April 2016. Thus, even though it is not
legally binding, Turkey has an emission reduction target for the first time. Though
there is criticism of this target [see Mazlum et al. (2015), Sayman (2015),
Gündoğan and Turhan (2015)], it is expected that Turkey will continue to cope with
climate change by decreasing its shortcomings.
In line with this aim, it adopted a National Climate Change Strategy by the
Ministry of Environment and Forestry with UNDP/GEF support in 2010 (Ministry
of Environment and Forestry, 2010). The first National Climate Change Action Plan
was adopted to implement it in 2011 (Ministry of Environment and Urbanization,
2011a), and a Climate Change Department was reestablished within the Ministry of
Environment and Urbanization (which was already established within the Ministry
of Environment and Forestry) and a High Level Coordination Committee for climate change to increase coordination among relevant institutions.
Nevertheless, Turkey still needs to make further efforts in all aspects of the
environment to eliminate the shortcomings and uncertainties in the legislation,
powers and responsibilities of institutions, and to enhance collaboration and
coordination between all institutions, as the Tenth Five Years Development Plan
(2014–2018) also underlines Ministry of Development (2014).
The framework legislation on nature protection has still not been adopted and
potential Natura 2000 sites have not yet been identified; the current regulations
allowing development and infrastructure activities in wetlands, forests and natural
site areas, on the other hand, are contrary to the acquis.
Remarkably, the thing which makes the situation worse for Turkey is that while
there are already a great number of areas that need to be improved, the retrogressions through exceptions and exemptions – such as Provisional Art. 3, Environment
Act; Provisional Art. 3, By-Law on EIA – made in amendments to the existing
legislation, such as amendments to the EIA legislation on different dates from 1993
to date,
23 introducing additional exemptions which allow several large infrastructure projects to be excluded from EIA procedures (through Provisional Articles
3 and 2, with the 2014 amendment), such as micro hydropower plants and the third
bridge project on the Bosphorus, designed to be the highest bridge in the world –
are inconsistent with the requirements of the EIA Directive. An increasing number
of other investment and construction projects are planned across the country, particularly in the fields of energy and transport. These include Canal İstanbul, a
waterway from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea; a new airport in Istanbul
designed to be the busiest in the world; the construction of nuclear power plants like
Akkuyu Power Plant, and Sinop Power Plant; and the creation of new pipelines,
such as the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline Project to connect Azerbaijan to Turkey for
22
For all INDCs submitted see at:
http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/indc/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx.
23
See all texts including amendments at:
http://www.csb.gov.tr/gm/ced/index.php?Sayfa=sayfa&Tur=webmenu&Id=254 and
http://www.csb.gov.tr/gm/ced/index.php?Sayfa=sayfa&Tur=webmenu&Id=11223.
20
Z. Savaşan
2015,
22 Turkey also signed the PCA on 22 April 2016. Thus, even though it is not
legally binding, Turkey has an emission reduction target for the first time. Though
there is criticism of this target [see Mazlum et al. (2015), Sayman (2015),
Gündoğan and Turhan (2015)], it is expected that Turkey will continue to cope with
climate change by decreasing its shortcomings.
In line with this aim, it adopted a National Climate Change Strategy by the
Ministry of Environment and Forestry with UNDP/GEF support in 2010 (Ministry
of Environment and Forestry, 2010). The first National Climate Change Action Plan
was adopted to implement it in 2011 (Ministry of Environment and Urbanization,
2011a), and a Climate Change Department was reestablished within the Ministry of
Environment and Urbanization (which was already established within the Ministry
of Environment and Forestry) and a High Level Coordination Committee for climate change to increase coordination among relevant institutions.
Nevertheless, Turkey still needs to make further efforts in all aspects of the
environment to eliminate the shortcomings and uncertainties in the legislation,
powers and responsibilities of institutions, and to enhance collaboration and
coordination between all institutions, as the Tenth Five Years Development Plan
(2014–2018) also underlines Ministry of Development (2014).
The framework legislation on nature protection has still not been adopted and
potential Natura 2000 sites have not yet been identified; the current regulations
allowing development and infrastructure activities in wetlands, forests and natural
site areas, on the other hand, are contrary to the acquis.
Remarkably, the thing which makes the situation worse for Turkey is that while
there are already a great number of areas that need to be improved, the retrogressions through exceptions and exemptions – such as Provisional Art. 3, Environment
Act; Provisional Art. 3, By-Law on EIA – made in amendments to the existing
legislation, such as amendments to the EIA legislation on different dates from 1993
to date,
23 introducing additional exemptions which allow several large infrastructure projects to be excluded from EIA procedures (through Provisional Articles
3 and 2, with the 2014 amendment), such as micro hydropower plants and the third
bridge project on the Bosphorus, designed to be the highest bridge in the world –
are inconsistent with the requirements of the EIA Directive. An increasing number
of other investment and construction projects are planned across the country, particularly in the fields of energy and transport. These include Canal İstanbul, a
waterway from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea; a new airport in Istanbul
designed to be the busiest in the world; the construction of nuclear power plants like
Akkuyu Power Plant, and Sinop Power Plant; and the creation of new pipelines,
such as the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline Project to connect Azerbaijan to Turkey for
22
For all INDCs submitted see at:
http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/indc/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx.
23
See all texts including amendments at:
http://www.csb.gov.tr/gm/ced/index.php?Sayfa=sayfa&Tur=webmenu&Id=254 and
http://www.csb.gov.tr/gm/ced/index.php?Sayfa=sayfa&Tur=webmenu&Id=11223.
20
Z. Savaşan