New hot and cold weather records are broken every year around the world, it gets drier and loses its glaciers. Climate change, which can be seen concretely in the last 10 years, has caused a new and actually a movement for us to live in all countries of the world. Countries now have to make sacrifices to prevent global warming.
Today, the Paris Climate Agreement, the most comprehensive climate agreement signed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, is among these sacrifices that require changes in the functioning of every aspect of our lives. Turkey, on the other hand, announced that it would join this agreement 6 years after the agreement was signed. So what is the Paris Climate Agreement? Why is it so important?
What is the Paris Climate Agreement?
The Paris Climate Agreement, agreed upon at the 21st United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP21), aims to strengthen global socio/economic resilience against the threat of climate change in the post-2020 period. The long-term goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global temperature rise as low as 2°C compared to the pre-industrial era.
The agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016, with at least 55 parties ratifying it, accounting for 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To date, 197 countries and autonomous governments have signed the agreement. 191 of them completed the process as a ‘party’ to the agreement.
The countries that were not party to the agreement were Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Turkey. The difference between signing the agreement and being a ‘party’ is as follows: For the agreement to enter into force in the countries where it was signed, the agreement must also be ratified by the parliaments of those countries. In other words, even if the country signs the agreement, it cannot become a party and is not subject to the requirements of the agreement unless it goes through the internal approval processes. This internal approval authority is the TGNA in our country. Turkey signed the agreement on April 22, 2016 in New York, but has not been a party since.
Turkey will ratify the Paris Climate Agreement:
After the Cabinet meeting on September 27, President Erdoğan announced that Turkey would ratify the Paris Climate Agreement in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in October. Erdogan also pointed out that with this agreement, fundamental changes will be made in many areas in the country. Turkey was the only OECD and G20 member that did not sign the agreement until now. Erdogan also announced that Turkey is targeting a zero emission rate by 2053 and that the work for this has begun.
Articles agreed by the countries within the scope of the agreement:
The Paris Climate Agreement does not include revolutionary targets in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But since many countries around the world have signed this agreement, the agreement is seen as a great success. The agreement stipulates common arrangements for all countries, which show how countries can reduce their carbon emissions and provide financial assistance to poorer countries.
Highlights of the agreement:
- To limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius compared to the “pre-industrial period” of 1850-1900, to 1.5 degrees if possible. (The current increase is estimated at 1 – 1.2 degrees.)
- To draw the greenhouse gases produced by human activities to a point where trees, soil and oceans can naturally digest them between 2050 and 2100.
- Evaluating the carbon emission cutting performance of each country every five years and setting new targets.
- To improve adaptation to climate change and ensure their transition to renewable energy by enabling rich countries to provide “climate finance” to poorer countries.
- To finance renewable energy resources by reducing energy production based on coal and fossil fuels as much as possible, to create suitable business areas and to complete the energy transition within the specified date ranges.
NOTE: Turkey was on the ‘developed countries’ list in the agreement. That’s why he filed an objection and argued that he needed support to fulfill his commitments for the deal.
Which countries pollute the world the most?
According to the report published by Climate Trace in September 2021, about 64% of global emissions originate from 10 countries, mainly China, USA, India, Russia and Indonesia.
- According to the same report, Turkey is the 16th most polluting country in the world.
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