In 2015, the United Nations (UN) gathered political representatives from various countries to discuss how to slow down global warming and reduce its negative impact on humanity and nature. Every day, we notice new negative changes in our lives as a result of global warming. Thus, at the Climate Change Conference, all members agreed to take strong measures to reduce carbon emissions from their production and consumption activities.
The Turkish Government Changes Its Minds
Turkey was a candidate country to join the European Union (EU), and the EU standards require becoming sensitive to global warming. In the beginning, the Turkish government was on its way to signing the agreement. However, the political environment in Turkey has changed radically after the army coup in 2016, and Turkey has become a less democratic country led by an increasingly authoritarian government. As a result, the country's primary goal shifted to achieving higher economic growth rates, which meant that the climate change agreement no longer piqued their interest, leading the Turkish government to decline the signing of the environmental agreement.
Following Turkey’s actions, the UN has added the country to the list of countries that will not receive financial support. In other words, Turkey couldn’t access the financial resources to fight against climate change. Although Turkey has not taken the necessary steps to fight global warming, the government still needed this financial assistance to tackle economic problems, which have worsened in the last five years.
As a result, Turkish ministers met with UN representatives, allowing Turkey to remain on the list. However, in order to improve the situation, Turkey must make more progress in combating climate change. It must, at the very least, sign the Paris Climate Agreement.
Problems after Problems
Natural disasters struck Turkey in 2020 and 2021, claiming the lives of many citizens. These disasters included earthquakes, forest fires, and floods. Those devastating effects in the country have demonstrated to us that most of the country's infrastructure is far inadequate in light of changing environmental conditions.
Furthermore, newly constructed city infrastructures, highways, bridges, energy production plants built in natural areas such as forests, water management, and many other facilities are continuing to ignore the new environmental changes caused by climate change. In short, the Turkish government is making little progress in combating the effects of climate change.
In recent years, the country has faced financial and economic difficulties, and climate change has increased the burden on countries and people. All investments must take into account the effects of climate change. If not, these investments may end up costing more than they are worth. Turkey's political approach to climate change must thus be reconsidered.
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