As the UN Climate Change Conference begins today (Monday) in Copenhagen, Turkish officials are gearing up for tough negotiations to present the country’s climate strategy after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
Officials from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said Turkey will express in Copenhagen its intention to maintain its current status of exclusion from Annex B, freeing it from emission reduction commitments.
Turkey, as an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country, was included in Annex I of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, and even in Annex II, which is the list of relatively advanced industrialized countries that have committed themselves to financial and technical transfers to developing countries. After Turkey’s objections, it was eventually removed from Annex II but as a non-signatory to the original 1997 protocol, it was also not included in Annex B.
So Turkey has been free from emission reduction commitments, even though it ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Aug. 26 of this year, and Turkish officials want to keep it that way unless financial support and technology transfer are offered.
Turkish officials noted that per capita annual emissions in Turkey are 4.5 tons compared to 23.5 tons in the United States and 11 tons in Denmark, where the climate summit will be held on Dec. 7-18, drawing up strategies for the post-Kyoto policies and commitments.
But Turkey’s emissions have risen quickly, from 170 million tons in 1990 to 372 million tons in 2007 as its annual per capita income rose from $3,000 in 1990 to $10,000 in 2007. And Turkish officials say the country will continue to grow.
On the other hand, Turkey is in a region that is quite vulnerable to climate change, and the country is indeed committed to the implementation of policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.
Giving examples from all sectors regarding quantitative reduction efforts, Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu said recently that as a result of the Energy Efficiency Law, 75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be cut by 2020.
Turkish officials, who will go to Copenhagen to negotiate on behalf of Turkey, said that they will tell the conference about Turkey’s unique situation, shared only by two other countries, to keep it free from reduction commitments. Turkey, South Korea and Mexico are members of the OECD, widely considered to be a group of industrialized nations, but do not have emission reduction commitments under the current Kyoto regime until 2012.
Meanwhile, the latest round of international talks on climate change ended on Nov. 6 without resolving major disputes over a new global climate pact and how to pay for it. UN scientists say rich countries must cut carbon emissions by 25 to 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 to prevent the Earth’s temperatures from rising by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above its average temperature before the industrial era began 150 years ago.
Developing countries should also limit their emissions and must adapt to the effects of climate change, including floods and drought. But they need money. However, industrialized countries have yet to unveil specific amounts to help poor countries fight global warming. About 29 percent of the greenhouse emissions in world come out of the United States. The share of EU countries is 26.5 percent, while Russia emits about 8 percent and China about 7.6 percent.
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Turkey uses more renewable sources of energy
* Law No. 5346, dealing with electricity production from renewable sources and enacted in 2005, is still in effect. This law guarantees electricity producers who produce from renewable sources that the government will buy the electricity generated at 5.5 euro cents per kilowatt-hour.
* Established wind farms reached 743 MW production capacity in 2009 compared to 17.2 MW in 2005.
* Turkey uses hydropower for its 35.8 billion kWh energy use out of 200 billion kWh of its total use.
* Turkey increased its use of renewable energy resources more than twofold in 1990-2009, bringing it up to 15,280 MW from 6,782 MW.
* As a result of the Energy Efficiency Law, 75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be avoided by 2020.
* Turkey increased energy efficiency in cement, iron and steel plants by using and promoting the best available techniques, supporting the transition to clean production.
* Turkey prepared a National Solid Waste Management Action Plan (2008-2012). According to the plan, 114 landfill sites will be constructed and will serve 76 percent of the population by 2012.
* Turkey started an ambitious forestation campaign with a target of 2.3 million hectares of land in a five-year period from 2008 to 2013. As a result of the campaign 181.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be sequestered.
* There are initiatives in the transportation sector including the enhancement of the quality of fuels consumed in vehicles, utilization of bio-fuels, use of vehicles with new engines and technologies, removal of old vehicles from the road, expansion of metro and light rail networks in big cities. The Marmaray sub-sea tunnel project in İstanbul -- which will connect the Asian and European sides of the city -- will reduce 130.335 tons of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.
* Turkey is promoting the use of biomass instead of fossil fuels, and best available agricultural and irrigation techniques to reduce emissions and conserve natural resources. The Law on Soil Conservation and the Law on Grassland and Pasture Conservation contribute to the sequestration of emissions. Turkey also adopted an action plan in 2008 to combat drought.
Source:todayszaman.com/
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