What Is the Climate Crisis?
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in the meteorological events that occur in the Earth’s atmosphere. In the past, such changes were triggered by factors such as variations in solar activity or major volcanic eruptions, but since the 1800s, human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, have become the main driver of climate change.
The burning of fossil fuels and other human activities produce emissions of gases that act like a blanket in the lower layer of the atmosphere (the troposphere), trapping the sun’s heat, raising temperatures, and whose mechanism is similar to that of a greenhouse, which is why they are called “greenhouse gases”.
The warming of the atmosphere caused by greenhouse gases leads not only to rising temperatures, but also to changes in the water cycle over the oceans and to the intensification of meteorological events such as storms, hurricanes and heavy rainfall. Over the long term, these changes lead to climate change.
The main “greenhouse gases” that cause climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. All greenhouse gas quantities emitted into the atmosphere are expressed in terms of “carbon dioxide equivalent”.
Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors that cause greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change is causing ocean acidification, rising ocean and sea levels due to melting glaciers, more frequent and intense heavy rainfall, flooding and inundation on land, severe drought, widespread forest fires and significant changes in ecosystems.
The fact that climate change has now become an “emergency” that can no longer be ignored is referred to as the “climate crisis”. As adverse changes in climate conditions intensify, the climate crisis has come to threaten life on Earth.
What Is the Evidence That Humans Are Responsible for the Climate Crisis?
Climate scientists have shown that humans are responsible for almost all global warming over the last 200 years.
The average surface temperature of the Earth is about 15°C, according to NASA. The average surface temperature of the Earth has increased by 1.2°C compared with the late 1800s, that is, before the industrial revolution, and it is warmer than at any time in the last 100,000 years. The last decade (2011–2020) was the warmest period on record, and each of the last four decades has been warmer than the previous one since 1850.
The main structural, human-driven causes behind the climate crisis are as follows:
• Intensive Use of Fossil Fuels:Coal, oil and natural gas are still among the most widely used energy sources in electricity generation, transport and heating.
• Emissions from Agriculture and Livestock:High-impact gases such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are released during livestock production and agricultural processes.
• Deforestation and Land-Use Change:The loss of natural carbon sinks such as forests, which have a high carbon-storage capacity, increases the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere.
• Industrial and Consumption Patterns:High energy consumption, fast-paced production and a waste-based economy deepen the climate crisis.
What Are the Countries’ Shares in Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
Greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change come from all parts of the world and affect everyone.
However, some countries produce far more emissions than others. Six countries (China, the United States of America, India, the European Union, the Russian Federation and Brazil) together accounted for more than half of all global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. By contrast, the 45 least developed countries are responsible for only 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
What Are the Consequences of the Climate Crisis?
The environmental consequences of the climate crisis include extreme weather events, rising ocean and sea levels caused by melting polar ice, water scarcity and declining biodiversity.
• Extreme Weather Events:Catastrophic storms, floods, forest fires, heatwaves and droughts have become more frequent and more destructive.
• Melting Glaciers and Rising Sea Levels: Major risks are emerging for coastal cities, while the very existence of island states is being threatened.
• Water Stress: Rising temperatures and declining groundwater resources threaten the hydrological cycle.
• Declining Biodiversity: Changes in climate are causing a loss of biodiversity, and some plant and animal species around the world are facing extinction.
As the frequency and severity of meteorological disasters increase around the world, their socio-economic costs are also rising. These impacts do not only pose environmental risks; they also create social, economic and political risks of destruction.
The climate crisis can affect our health, food production, housing, security and employment. Yield losses in agriculture threaten food security; small-scale farmers and economies that rely on agriculture are particularly affected. People living in small island states and other developing countries are more vulnerable to climate impacts.
Because of sea-level rise, drought, fires and extreme weather events, more people are expected to die, be injured or be displaced. Climate-induced displacement and migration increase social tensions and the risk of international instability.
What Is the Solution to the Climate Crisis?
According to many scientists and government officials, limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5–2.0°C will help us avoid the worst climate impacts and protect the liveable ecosystems on Earth.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Climate Agreement set out the solution actions agreed by the countries of the world under the auspices of the United Nations to achieve sustainable development and address the climate crisis.
The three broad categories of action in the Paris Climate Agreement are:
1- REDUCING greenhouse gas emissions,
2- ADAPTING to changing climate impacts,
3- FINANCING mitigation and adaptation efforts.
What Is ÇEVKO Foundation Doing Against the Climate Crisis?
In 2016, ÇEVKO Foundation expanded its focus areas to include combating the climate crisis and established the ÇEVKO Foundation Climate Change and Sustainability (İDS) Working Group, consisting of Foundation members. The members of the ÇEVKO Foundation İDS Working Group are as follows:
The mission of the ÇEVKO Foundation İDS Working Group has been defined as follows:
1- To increase the awareness and knowledge levels of group members on sustainability and climate change
2- To help increase information sharing and awareness by enabling group members to act as a bridge between their own institutions and the Group
3- To participate in and organize events as representatives of the private sector, industry and civil society
4- To develop relations and cooperation with the Climate Department of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye and other relevant state institutions; to proactively monitor relevant national and international agreements and legal regulations; and to provide opinions and contributions
5- To highlight the positive impact of recycling and waste management in combating climate change
6- To carry out awareness-raising activities for consumers and individuals
ÇEVKO Foundation’s Activities:
In line with the mission of the ÇEVKO Foundation İDS Working Group, we carry out the following activities:
• We organize conferences.
On Thursday, 24 October 2019, the conference “Türkiye’s Fight Against Climate Change, Industry’s Sustainability and Zero Waste Efforts” was held at Green Park Hotel Ankara.
• We organize ÇEVKO Foundation online talks.
Six times a year, we organize talks where the latest developments in climate change and sustainability are evaluated with the participation of representatives of industrial companies that are Foundation members, university faculty members and university students serving as climate ambassadors.
• We publish İDS Working Group Sustainability Study Reports.
Reports featuring examples from the sustainability work of Working Group members were published in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.
ÇEVKO Foundation’s Recommendations:
The recommendations that ÇEVKO Foundation determined in December 2022 for Türkiye’s fight against the climate crisis and shared with public authorities and the public are as follows:
1- To work on setting our nationally determined contribution as an absolute reduction target in line with the 2053 carbon-neutral goal.
2- To adopt and implement a climate law and the necessary legal regulations.
3- To impose limits and a price on carbon emissions through an Emissions Trading System or similar mechanisms to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
4- To prepare and implement a plan to gradually phase out the use of coal in energy production.
5- To prepare and implement plans to increase forests and other carbon sinks.
6- To increase energy efficiency in buildings, industry and transport, and to make the transition to renewable energy more ambitious.
7- To reduce emissions not only from the energy sector and industry, but also from transport, buildings, agriculture and waste.
8- To prepare and implement regional-scale plans and actions on climate change adaptation.
9- To create very substantial financial resources, including incentives, to make all this possible, and to secure these resources from the public sector, the private sector and national and international funds.
10- To launch and sustain a national campaign to raise public awareness of the climate crisis and to support changes in habits.
What Is Our Responsibility as Individuals?
Individuals are not only affected by this crisis; they are also active agents in the process. Consumption choices, energy use and political preferences determine the collective strength of the response to the climate crisis.
• Saving energy and water,
• Preferring public transport and low-carbon mobility options,
• Adopting plant-based dietary habits,
• Reducing waste and increasing recycling,
• Civic engagement in favour of green policies
enable individuals to take action against the climate crisis. Social change begins with individual awareness. Legal regulations only gain real meaning through effective implementation and social support. Fighting this crisis is not only about protecting today, but also about defending the right to life of future generations.
