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13 Climate Action

COP31

COP Ends, The Process Remains: An Opportunity to Leave a Permanent Mark for Türkiye

COP Ends, The Process Remains: An Opportunity to Leave a Permanent Mark for Türkiye
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It makes sense to consider COPs as a process. In this process, which has been carried out by more than 190 countries for more than 30 years, long negotiations were held, difficult decisions were made and various goals were determined. However, at the point we have reached today, it is clear that these targets are not sufficient to ensure the progress required to combat the climate crisis. As a matter of fact, it is statedEven if the policies are fully implemented, it is estimated that global warming will increase to 2.5 degrees by the end of the century (IEA, 2026).

The issue is not just the adequacy of the targets; At the same time, there is a serious delay in the realization of these goals. For this reason, in recent COP processes, the focus has turned to the implementation of existing targets rather than setting new and more ambitious targets. In other words, “what are we going to do?” rather than “how will we do it?” question comes to the fore and becomes the focus of discussionsIt's changing.

It can be said that developments such as the withdrawal of the USA, one of the largest actors in the world in terms of production and emissions, from the Paris Agreement were also effective in this change of focus. As a matter of fact, the absence of the United States, which plays a critical role in the decision-making mechanism, risks negatively affecting both the determination of other countries and the binding nature of the decisions taken. However, climate scientistsThe picture it presents is clear: If current trends continue, the crisis will deepen. Therefore, it is necessary not only to accelerate implementation, but also to make the targets more ambitious. Otherwise, it seems inevitable that the response of nature and ecosystems will be much harsher.

In this period, when COP discussions are followed in two main axes that can be grouped under the headings of "target increase" and "implementation improvement", the space for the third axis can be expanded with a contribution to the perspective of the struggle. Bringing the concepts of nature and restoration, which have become increasingly important in recent years, to the center of policy discussions will help enrich the current perspective.could be an important contribution to the

As a matter of fact, the issue is an ecosystem crisis that covers a wide range of natural systems interaction, including but not limited to the climate crisis (TSKB Economic Research, 2023). The basis of this perspective lies in the findings that humanity has exceeded the limits required for the planet to remain a livable place. If the planet's boundaries were exceeded, its natural resources would only beIt is no longer sufficient to consider nature from a "sustainable use" perspective; a "restorative", "nature-positive" approach needs to be adopted (Tur & Hakyemez, 2023).

Turkey's contribution to this transformation and making COP31 a turning point where this new approach becomes concrete may offer the opportunity to leave a permanent mark in the fight against the ecosystem crisis.

Feridun Tur | TSKB Economic Research

Source: https://www.tskb.com.tr/blog/surdurulelektrik/cop-biter-surec-kalir-turkiye-icin-kalici-bir-iz-birakma-firsati