Ankara- Last Wednesday, the Turkish parliament passed the first climate law in the country’s history, setting a comprehensive legislative framework to meet the challenges of climate change and achieving the goal of “net zero emissions” by 2053.
The law is a necessary step to implement the Paris Climate Agreement within the Turkish legal framework, and it was the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan His country had previously announced the commitment of the carbon neutrality by 2053, as part of the pledges made by Ankara after its ratification of the international agreement in 2021.
Strategic framework
The Turkish government describes the law as a strategic framework to consolidate its climatic obligations and turn it into binding measures on the ground, which contributes to protecting natural resources and reducing the environmental risks that threaten the country.
While observers welcomed Ankara’s move towards green development, the law also sparked widespread discussions of its ability to draw a practical path to achieve ambitious climatic goals for 2053.
The Minister of Environment, Urban Development and Climate Change, Murad Korum, described the legislation as “the most important station in the way of shift towards a clean economy and achieving our climatic goals.” He stressed that the law will enhance the ability of the Turkish economy to compete globally, and protect it from the catastrophic consequences of the climate crisis.
The law focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing Türkiye’s ability to adapt to the worsening effects of the climate crisis, by launching national and local plans to protect the environment, tightening control of polluted industrial activities, and supporting the gradual transformation towards clean and renewable energy.
The importance of law
The age of the first climate law in Türkiye comes in light of a series of harsh climatic phenomena, which made a clear warning to decision makers.
The firefighting teams have struggled a week ago more than 600 fires that fed with strong winds that swept separate areas of the country, which resulted in 3 extensive environmental deaths and losses, in one of the most deadly waves of fires in recent years.
Türkiye has witnessed a sharp rise in greenhouse gas emissions in parallel, with its economy expanding during the past decades.
According to the data of the Turkish Statistics Authority, the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 amounted to 599 million tons of equivalent carbon dioxide, an increase of approximately 7% from the previous year.
The energy sector alone records 75%of these emissions as a result of the heavy dependence on coal, gas and oil, followed by the agricultural sector by 12%, then the industry with about 11.8%.
This sharp escalation in emissions highlights the urgent need to curb the upward path of emissions, especially since Türkiye has become one of the 20 largest global exporters for carbon emissions with a share of more than 1% of the global total.
Therefore, the new law is seen as a strategic step to break the increasing emissions curve and lay the foundations for sustainable development between the requirements of the economy and the necessities of protecting the environment, according to specialists.
The most prominent items
The Turkish Climate Law includes a wide package of regulatory mechanisms and environmental legislation, distributed over 20 basic articles and a number of amendments to existing laws, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive legal framework to confront Climate change And supporting the shift towards a low -carbon economy, most notably:
- Carbon national market: The creation of a system for emissions that determines carbon prices and distributes shares to the sectors, with the possibility of selling excess companies from their shares to other facilities.
- Strong permits and control: obliging the major facilities to obtain emissions permits within 3 years, with accurate annual reports and fines that may reach millions of pounds, and to give the Directorate of Climate Change the powers of inspection and penalties.
- Local and national action plans: obligating the provinces to develop climate plans by 2027, and to form regional committees, as well as preparing a comprehensive national strategy and periodic plans for mitigation and adaptation.
- Green financing and investment: developing new financing tools and supporting clean energy projects, with the adoption of the “Green Turkey” classification and adopting mechanisms to protect the competitiveness of Turkish exports in light of global environmental restrictions.
- Just climate justice and the transition of just: Including concepts to ensure a fair distribution of the burdens and benefits of the shift towards a clean economy, and to protect the most affected groups, with the involvement of civil society and experts in drawing policies.
Widespread
The legislation sparked widespread societal controversy, after rumors spread about the imposition of carbon taxes on individuals or the restriction of agricultural practices, which was denied by the Ministry of Environment, stressing that the procedures target the major facilities only, and that the law aims to protect natural resources and ensure food and water security.
On the other hand, representatives of the industrial sector expressed their fear of financial burdens that may be imposed by compliance with new standards, especially on small and medium factories. But the government believes that these reforms have become necessary to ensure that Türkiye’s exports are continuing in European markets, as the requirements of sustainability increase.
Implementation bet
In turn, an environmental researcher at Yildirim University, Othman Courtolosh, believes that the new climate law is an important first step to develop a legislative framework that enhances Türkiye’s ability to adapt to the challenges of climate change, and is gradually pushing for emissions. But he stresses at the same time that the success of the law depends on the mechanisms of actual implementation on the ground, and not just by the written texts.
Cortolosh is likely – in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net – that the application of the law will face great challenges, foremost of which is the Turkish economy’s reliance significantly on fossil fuels, especially coal, to generate electricity and operate industries.
It indicates that the transformation into clean energy sources requires huge investments and advanced technologies, which may burden the economy under the current financial conditions.
He also pointed out that many municipalities and local institutions lack the technical expertise and capabilities necessary to prepare and implement effective climate plans, which may slow the pace of transformation at the local level.
Green revolution
For its part, the environmental engineer, Elif Rabaa Jourbouz, believes that the new climate law represents a pivotal step in the path of Türkiye towards achieving the goal of “net zero emissions” by 2053.
Jurboz, in her interview with Al -Jazeera Net, indicates that President Erdogan described this shift as a “green development revolution”, in reference to the integration of environmental policies with the country’s economic development vision.
According to her saying, the law places legislative foundations that allow Turkey to address climate change risks, including water crises, severe heat waves, forest fires, and food insecurity, which have emerged strongly in recent years.
It also confirms that Türkiye – during its participation in the global climate summits – stressed the importance of facing these risks, with the call to enhance investments in renewable energy, “zero waste” projects, and green financing mechanisms.
And you see that the new law is not limited to being a national response, but rather reflects Turkey’s desire to play a regional role to reduce the humanitarian, environmental and economic effects of the climate crisis, especially in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin, which are considered one of the most fragile areas in front of climate changes.