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CLIMATE, BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND DESERTIFICATION: TIME FOR INTEGRAL INTERVENTION
28 May 2025Legislation, Compliance and Participation Stand Out in the Face of Triple Crisis
In the ÇEVKO Foundation's interview, climate change was discussed as a "triple crisis" with desertification and biodiversity loss. Participants agreed that sustainability policies should be supported by structural regulations and more active participation of youth in decision-making processes.
The online interviews organized by ÇEVKO Foundation, which brings together the identities of an expert industrial initiative and an active non-governmental organization, in cooperation with the Global Warming Congress Committee, continue in their 5th year. The third of the talks organized in 2025 under the title "Latest Developments in Climate Change and Sustainability" took place on May 26, 2025.
The speakers of the conversation, moderated by Celal Toprak, Chairman of the Global Warming Congress Committee, were ÇEVKO Foundation Secretary General Mete İmer, Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay, Consus Enerji Environment and Sustainability Manager İbrahim Hakkı Onur Karakaya and Yeditepe University Climate Ambassador Nazya Ürek.
In the ÇEVKO Foundation interview, which drew attention to the need to reshape Türkiye's climate policies, it was stated that 2024 will be the hottest year ever recorded; With developments such as drought, agricultural crisis and deforestation, the assessment that "the ecological threshold has been exceeded" was brought to the agenda. This situation was discussed within the framework of the “triple crisis” structure consisting of climate change, desertification and biodiversity loss. Participants agreed that sustainability policies should be supported by structural regulations, implemented with an approach that takes into account social inequalities, and more active participation of youth in decision-making processes. It was emphasized that limited solutions on a voluntary basis are insufficient, that policy production through legal regulations has become an urgent need, and that these policies should be designed by taking into account social vulnerabilities as well as environmental impacts.
Legislative Gap Must Be Eliminated on the Path to 2053 Target
ÇEVKO Foundation Secretary General Mete İmer emphasized in his opening speech that the effects of the climate crisis have now become a part of daily life, that responsible and conscious industry, civil society and individuals are making efforts in this field, but structural steps are required for permanent results. He stated that the work carried out on a voluntary basis is important, but may remain limited unless it is supported by public regulations and governance mechanisms.
Mete İmer continued his words as follows: "Our foundation shared with the public the 10-item proposal package addressed to the public authority in 2022 on what needs to be done in our country against the climate crisis. These recommendations are still valid. This package includes critical topics such as limiting carbon emissions through legal regulation, coal exit plan, financing and national awareness campaign. It is of great importance to complete the regulatory framework to implement these recommendations. On the way to the 2053 carbon neutral target." "The legislative gap must be eliminated; the climate law should be considered as one of the basic parts of this framework. The withdrawal of the bill submitted to the Parliament has caused the expected steps to be taken in this field to be postponed. However, the legal infrastructure must be completed in order for our goals to become concrete and traceable."
Climate Crisis in a Triple Crisis Structure with Desertification and Biodiversity Loss
Istanbul University- Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay pointed out that 2024 is the hottest year ever measured and emphasized that Turkey is warming more than the world average. He stated that there was a temperature increase of 2.5-3 degrees compared to the average of the 1971-2000 period, and that the accompanying drought and poor water management deepened the agricultural crisis.
Stating that the climate crisis can no longer be addressed alone, it has turned into a "triple crisis" that must be evaluated together with desertification and biodiversity loss. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay said, "90 percent of forest fires are human-caused. Combined with drought, these fires grow rapidly and become difficult to extinguish. While approximately 25 thousand hectares of forest area burns every year, more than 30 thousand hectares of land are deforested for energy and mining investments. We cannot fight the climate without stopping this double-sided loss."
Tolunay stated that climate change adaptation and mitigation policies should also include the dimensions of desertification and biodiversity, and stated that despite the existence of strategy documents at national and local levels, the practices are insufficient; He stated that although the emission targets appear to be a reduction from an increase, they do not provide a real reduction: "The 2053 net zero target is possible not only by reducing emissions, but also by protecting and increasing carbon sinks. However, today, while emissions are increasing, the carbon retention capacity of forests is decreasing. This gap is widening every year."
Noting that even renewable energy investments can cause desertification and loss of biodiversity, Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay continued his words as follows: "Energy conversion is of course important, but the question of where and how is at least as critical as the question of how much. Facilities built in semi-arid regions can destroy ecosystems. When planning is not compatible with nature, well-intentioned solutions may magnify other crises."
Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay also stated that sustainability reporting largely focuses on economic indicators; Stating that ecological and social dimensions remain in the background, he emphasized that sustainability is not just a matter of reporting but a matter of systemic transformation. He stated that biodiversity loss has now become a separate topic in global climate diplomacy, and in this context, the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, will be as decisive as the Paris Agreement.
Sustainability Must Be More Than Reporting
Consus Enerji Environment and Sustainability Manager İbrahim Hakkı Onur Karakaya emphasized that sustainability cannot be limited to just reporting or carbon footprint measurement, and that this concept is an approach that should be integrated into all corporate structure and business processes. Karakaya said, "Sustainability should be addressed together with its environmental, social, corporate management and economic dimensions. This is possible not only by obtaining certification, but also by sharing responsibility in all operations and departments of the institution."
Noting that public regulations are also needed for the private sector to be more effective in combating climate change, Karakaya said, "Mechanisms such as the emission trading system have been studied for a long time, the technical infrastructure is ready, but the withdrawal of the climate law has temporarily disrupted the progress in this field."
Referring to the transformation in the energy sector, Karakaya reminded that 99 out of every 100 energy facilities established in Turkey by 2024 will be of renewable origin. Stating that Consus operates in 11 provinces with investments based on distributed energy, biomass and solar energy, and has also grown abroad with the hybrid energy project carried out in the Bahamas, Karakaya said, "By utilizing the carbon gains we obtain from renewable sources in the voluntary carbon market, we both reduce the environmental impact and create new financial models."
Youth Should Be an Active Partner of Climate Policy, Not a Silent one
Yeditepe University Climate Ambassador Nazya Ürek stated that young people are the generation that will experience the effects of climate change most deeply and emphasized that young people should take an active role not only in awareness activities but also in policy-making processes.
"As climate ambassadors, we undertake information sharing and climate leadership in our universities; we work to make the voices of young people heard on local and international platforms," said Ürek, and shared that he attended COP29 with the Turkish delegation in this context.
Stating that climate diplomacy has now become an area in which young generations directly contribute, Ürek emphasized that sustainability should not be seen only as a reporting or technical certification process and said, "These processes also have social dimensions. Women, children and vulnerable groups are the groups that will be most affected by the climate crisis. We cannot eliminate the effects, but we can reduce them; for this, it is critical to include young people in decision-making mechanisms."
Time to Transition from Awareness to Action
ÇEVKO Foundation Secretary General Mete İmer, who took the floor again for the closing speech of the interview and stated that they, as ÇEVKO Foundation, will continue to raise awareness and continue these conversations, said, "These events are not only a basis for sharing information, but also for the formation of a common will." Mete İmer thanked the participants and speakers and stated that the program provided an information-filled and constructive environment.
Mete İmer emphasized that they wish the climate law to be implemented in a functional and comprehensive manner as soon as possible and said, "We are all making efforts at various levels. However, in order for these efforts to turn into effective results, policy makers need to prioritize the issue and strengthen the guiding role of the public authority."
You can also watch the conversation titled "Latest Developments in Climate Change and Sustainability", prepared by the ÇEVKO Foundation in cooperation with the Global Warming Congress Committee, on the ÇEVKO Foundation's YouTube channel:
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