Turkey is planning measures to curb its fast-rising greenhouse gas emissions as its economy booms, but cannot afford to sign the Kyoto Protocol now, the minister of environment and forestry said yesterday.
Osman Pepe also told Reuters in an interview that people should cut their water and electricity consumption as the country is facing a drought.
Turkey’s gas emissions rose 75 percent between 1990 and 2004 due to population growth and fast industrialization.
“The ministries of Environment, Energy and Agriculture have been working on measures (to cut emissions)... They will be presented and discussed in a cabinet meeting next week,” he said, adding that the cabinet would discuss a series of measures such as shifting civil servants’ working hours to earlier in the day to curb emissions.
Pepe said Turkey was exposed to the impact of global warming as a semi-arid country on the shores of the Mediterranean, where Turkish resorts attract nearly 20 million tourists every year.
The government has banned the use of old, polluting cars and decided to provide incentives to producers of renewable energy for up to 10 years in order to raise the share of renewable energy from 1 percent in total consumption now.
He said Turkey would spend $60 billion to upgrade its environment standards as part of its harmonization of legislation with European Union norms.
But Turkey’s industry is not prepared to shoulder the burden of emission cuts by signing the Kyoto Protocol, which sets binding targets to cut emissions, he said.
“An American produces 26 tons of carbon dioxide a year on average, and a European produces 11-12 tons. This is only 3.3 tons for a Turk,” he said.
As a country still industrializing, Turkey can only be expected to trim the rise in its emissions, Pepe said, adding that Turkey would continue to release more emissions.
But he said Turkey would have to sign the Kyoto Protocol if its bid to join the EU succeeds.
Pepe also highlighted risks currently presented by lower rainfall levels in Turkey. “It is true that we are facing risks in the dams concerning drinking water. Rainfall is down 15 percent from last year,” he said and warned the capital Ankara in central Turkey was at risk from drought in particular.
“The data show that Ankara’s dams have enough water for the next seven months,” he said, asking households to cut their water and electricity consumption.
(Reuters, 01/03/2007)