Assessing Turkey’s Climate Change Commitments: The Case of Turkey’s Energy Policy

Year 2017, Volume: 22 Issue: 2, 107 - 130, 01.08.2017

Emre İşeri Defne Günay

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly recognized worldwide as a growing threat. The UN’s sustainable development goals and the Paris Conference COP 21 attest to this. Countries confront the challenge of managing the trade-off between energy-intensive growth and climate change effects. In this historical juncture, a renewable energy- based third industrial revolution is underway. In the post-COP 21 period, it is now imperative to analyze the non -compliance of signatories to their commitments towards climate action. Turkey is no exception to this trend. In this light, this paper examines the credibility of Turkey’s compliance with its commitments at the COP 21 with special focus on the public attitudes in Turkey towards climate change and the government’s non -adoption of climate action as a norm in its energy strategy documents and its energy policy practices. It concludes that regardless of Turkey’s COP 21 commitments and public perceptions on climate change, Turkish policy makers prioritize availability in its energy policy to foster economic growth

Keywords

Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Energy Policy, Public Opinion, Turkey.

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