About Project

Turkey Warms Up to Global Climate Initiative 

What better time than Turkey’s blisteringly hot summer to tackle the burning issue of global warming? 

(10 August 2005) The Government of Turkey and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) agreed the way ahead for Turkey to confront the global threat of climate change at a signing ceremony attended by Jakob Simonsen, UNDP Representative in Turkey, and Professor Hasan Z. Sarikaya, Undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

The accord, signed at the beginning of August, outlines future activities including the preparation of Turkey’s Initial National Communication, which will report on the steps the country is taking to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Some $405,000 from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF)’s trust fund for developing countries was allocated for the project. (For more on GEF trust fund: www.gefweb.org) 

Turkey ratified the UNFCCC, aimed at mobilizing the international community against the threat of global warming, in 2004. The convention aims to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gases at a low level. (For more on UNFCCC: http://unfccc.int)

The agreed project will analyze the potential impacts of climate change, inventory Turkey’s greenhouse gas emissions and GHG emission projections until 2020 and assess alternative energy scenarios and measures to reduce emissions, as well as enhance local expertise, prepare the initial national communication report and generate public awareness of the issue.

An inter-ministerial National Climate Change Coordination Council has been formed under the direction of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. UNDP Turkey will act as implementing agency and provide consulting services.

Signatories of the Convention are supposed to prepare National Communication reports every two years to submit them to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC. Most of the signatory states have already submitted their third National Communication reports. Only a few countries such as Turkey, Bosnia and Brunei have yet to submit their reports.