January 2022 Blog

Turkey: Rati­fication Pro­cess of the Paris Agree­ment (Paris Cli­mate Agree­ment) and Related Reflec­tions

The Law on the Approval of Ratification of the Paris Agreement numbered 7335 was passed on October 6, 2021, published in the Official Gazette numbered 31621 on October 7, 2021 and entered into force on the same date. 

Paris Agreement and Turkey

At the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted to take effect from 2020 given that the Kyoto Protocol was to expire in 2020. The Agreement aimed to limit the global temperature increase caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions – the negative effects of which are being felt more and more every day – to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels. This was to be achieved through emission reduction steps to be taken by the parties in the long term even including efforts to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible. The Agreement was also the first multinational agreement on climate change.

Turkey signed the Paris Climate Agreement on April 22, 2016. Said Agreement was adopted by the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and entered into force on November 4, 2016. Turkey ratified and acceded to said Agreement with effect from October 7, 2021. With the entry into force of the Agreement, Turkey became the last G20 and OECD country to put the Paris Climate Agreement into effect.

After the entry into force of the Agreement, Turkey assumed some obligations as a party state. These are mainly the following:

limiting the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius compared with the "pre-industrial period" levels of 1850-1900, and to 1.5 degrees if possible, drawing the greenhouse gases produced by human activities to a point where trees, soil and oceans can naturally digest them between 2050 and 2100, determining new targets by evaluating country-wide carbon emission cutting performance every 5 (five) years, and supporting the fight against climate change with climate finance options for developing countries to improve their adaptation to climate change policies, and ensuring the transition to renewable energy.

After this stage, Turkey is expected to take concrete steps on climate change by making various arrangements in both production areas and consumption sectors in line with the obligations established by the Agreement. The name “Ministry of Environment and Urbanization” will be changed to “Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change”. In addition, Turkey aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2053.

European Union Green Deal and Turkey's Adoption of Green Reconciliation Action Plan

With the Green Deal plan announced in November 2019, the European Union took a new step towards a carbon-free and cleaner world by setting targets in addition to those set by the Paris Climate Agreement. This agreement is generally aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.

The Green Deal is also significant for those countries that have commercial relations with the European Union, as it creates new financial and legal regulations regarding the green market and also emphasizes the importance of creating renewable and sustainable production models. It was against this backdrop that Turkey drafted the Green Reconciliation Action Plan within the scope of harmonization with the European Green Deal, and said Plan was published in the Official Gazette on July 16, 2021.

The Action Plan includes 32 targets and 81 actions under 9 main headings. The main objectives can be listed as follows:

  • enabling green investment through green financing,
  • allocating 1 GW capacity per each year until 2027 for new solar and wind power plants,
  • usinga cleaner energy supply model,
  • transmission for an internationally competitive, sustainable, efficient and technological farming policy,
  • transmission for a sustainable and intelligent transportation system, and
  • harmonization with the EU’s environmental regulations.

In the Action Plan, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which the European Union sees as an important tool for achieving the goals of the Green Deal, has also been examined in detail. The CBAM is a regulation aimed at levying taxes on products imported into the EU according to their carbon intensity, thus ensuring both an environmentally friendly production and protecting EU producers from unfair competition. The Action Plan is also aimed at organizing a national carbon pricing mechanism to reduce the costs of the sectors and companies exporting products to the EU region and to protect trade.

Conclusion

In the fight against the climate crisis, Turkey announced the Green Deal Action Plan for the first time in July 2021. It then officially became a party to the Paris Agreement, which it signed in 2016, by putting it into effect in October 2021. Although Turkey's ratification of the Paris Agreement and the adoption of the Green Deal Action Plan can be welcomed, Turkey needs to intensify its adjustment efforts and implement green energy and industrial policies to further reduce its emissions. Turkey must also reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and increase its investment in clean energy sources.

Yavuz Selim Sahin
Trainee
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