TEMA: Turkey Should Sign Paris Climate Agreement Like Other 184 Countries

* Photographs: TEMA Foundation

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The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) is being held in the city of Katowice in Poland between December 2 and 14.

As it has been announced on its official website, the summit aims to "adopt decisions ensuring full implementation of the Paris Agreement."

On the occasion of the Climate Summit in Poland, Executive Board Chair of the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA) Deniz Ataç has made a call to Turkey to sign and implement the Paris Climate Agreement.

Reminding that "extreme weather events caused a total of 1.9-billion-dollar economic damage in Turkey according to the Global Climate Risk Index", Ataç has emphasized that Turkey is located in the Mediterranean Basin, which will be affected the most by the climate change.

"Funds should not be the axis of climate policy"

Underlining that "Turkey should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to be able to limit the global warming at 1.5 °C and should zero its emissions as of 2050", Ataç has called Turkey "to sign the Paris Climate Agreement and put it into effect like 184 other countries":

"In the event that Turkey does not approve the Paris Climate Agreement this year either, it will not be one of the countries drawing the lines of the politics, commerce and economy of the future; it will not be a country which leads, but a country which is led.

"We demand that Turkey immediately approve the Paris Climate Agreement and strengthen its climate goals, thereby becoming one of the countries leading the global studies."

Emphasizing the importance of global-scale finances and funds in the struggle against climate change, Ataç has added,

"However, the axis of our climate policy should not be to leave the list of developed countries to be able to have the Green Climate Fund, but to implement multi-dimensional local and and national policies to adapt to the climate change and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions." (PT/SD)