TURKEY’S STANCE ON THE PARIS AGREEMENT

TURKEY has been a part of global climate conferences since their beginning; however, despite working hard both at home and in the international arena to help reduce the effects of global climate change, Turkey does not accede to the Paris Agreement, although it initially signed on as a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), of which the Paris Agreement is a part of.

Back in 1992, when the UNFCCC was adopted, countries were classed into three basic groups: Annex I countries, Annex II countries and countries that were not listed in either two annexes, “non-Annex I” countries. Annex I countries are obliged by the convention to adopt national policies and take corresponding measures on the mitigation of climate change. These parties are supposed to take the lead in fulfilling the key objective of the convention; that is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous man-made interference with the climate system. Moreover, countries included in Annex II are to provide new and additional financial resources, including for the transfer of technology, to support developing countries in their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. In contrast, non-Annex I countries only have to communicate national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and removals and to formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national programs containing measures to mitigate climate change.

As a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Turkey was listed in both Annex I and Annex II of the UNFCCC in 1992. After realizing the consequences of being listed as such, Turkey rolled up its sleeves and engaged in a series of diplomatic engagements; however it has not been able to receive the necessary support from fellow countries to be able to be listed in non-Annex I countries and to get funds to fight climate change.

In a show of goodwill, Turkey asked to host the climate conference in 2020 in Antalya and show the member countries its efforts in the matter and receive the necessary funds, as Turkey is a country heavily affected by climate change.