Turkey's first "Climate Law Proposal" in the TBMM Environment Commission

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Creation Date: February 26, 2025 19:52

Discussions on Turkey's first "Climate Law Proposal " continue in the TBMM Environment Commission.

Before the articles of the proposal were discussed in the commission, representatives of civil society organizations took the floor.

Deniz Gümüşel, the representative of the Clean Air Right Platform, argued that the bill has no vision or concrete goal regarding the gradual exit from fossil fuels, which are the main culprits of the global and vital crisis.

Gümüşel, who claimed that the entire initiative was left to market mechanisms, said, "However, when it is not supported by concrete policies, as was seen in the early years of the European Union's emissions trading system, unfortunately the desired greenhouse gas reduction target cannot be achieved by leaving it only to the ETS."

Gümüşel pointed out that if the Emission Trading System (ETS) that is being attempted to be established in Türkiye is operated seriously and transparently towards the goal of reducing greenhouse gases, it will be impossible for thermal power plants to survive economically, and said:

"In order for the workers and their families who earn their living from this sector, especially the 35 thousand coal mine workers, 8 thousand thermal power plant workers, and other citizens living in these coal regions whose economies depend on coal, to have a future worthy of human dignity, a national just transition program with concrete, participatory operational mechanisms and clear financing sources must definitely be designed and integrated into the law. However, in its current form, just transition unfortunately cannot go beyond being an expression of goodwill and does not foresee a national just transition mechanism."

Gümüşel claimed that the bill in its current form is "not a climate law, but a trade law."

"WE NEED A STRONG CLIMATE POLICY"

Özlem Katısöz, Representative of the Climate Network Platform, stated that they have been a team working on the climate law since 2021 and said, "We were happy to have the opportunity to contribute to this process. We wish we had had this opportunity during the writing process of the law, but we are here today, at least we want to do our best in the contribution process to the law."

Stating that global trade and economy are on the path to decarbonization and that countries that do not adapt to this face the risk of being left behind, Katısöz said, "We are also talking about climate law with the process that started after the Green Deal in the European Union. Therefore, we need a strong climate policy and therefore we want a strong climate law."

Katısöz emphasized that the net zero transformation should be seen from an opportunity perspective, not a cost for Turkey, and said that they want the law to present a vision that establishes justice, makes polluters pay the price, provides benefits to broad segments of society, supports the desire to transition to a net zero economy, and considers not only the present but also the future of the country.

"CLIMATE CRISIS IS NOT JUST GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS"

Turkish Medical Association Representative Demet Parlar also stated that the Turkish Medical Association is one of the components of the Climate Justice Coalition and that as the Climate Justice Coalition, they applied to the Parliament with 28 thousand wet signatures for the "ecocide law" to be discussed, but their application was not accepted.

Parlar, who noted that the proposal for discussion on the " ecocide law " was currently at the Court of Appeal, said that the "ecocide law" had been accepted in 27 European countries and that they were expecting this law to be accepted in Turkey as well.

Climate Justice Coalition Representative Caner Gökbayrak also described the bill as "not a climate law, but a destruction law."

Claiming that if the bill becomes law in its current form, it will bring destruction, Gökbayrak said, "The climate crisis is not just greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps we have come to this point because it is only seen as greenhouse gas emissions. The climate crisis is actually a reflection of the ecological crisis, it is the present. At the very top, it is where they say 'much worse things will happen from now on'. Because we destroyed, we destroyed our forests, we polluted our streams."

Following the speeches, discussions on the articles of the bill began.