World Bank applauds Ankara's initiatives on climate change - TRT AFRIKA
World Bank applauds Ankara's initiatives on climate change - TRT Afrika
The World Bank's country director for Türkiye has praised its efforts to fight climate crisis, saying that initiatives in this field will also contribute to energy security.
At the opening ceremony of the Türkiye Carbon Market Development Project on Tuesday, Humberto Lopez mentioned that they had the opportunity to initiate an implementation program for market partnership.
Mehmet Ozhaseki, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanisation, and Climate Change, was also in attendance.
Pointing to the steps Türkiye has taken towards solving climate change and its leadership in this field, Lopez underscored that Türkiye comes first among 17 countries they are working for the World Bank’s Partnership for Market Implementation (PMI), adding: "I'm going to event after event where I'm highlighting the leadership that the country is showing in climate change.
"And I think that it has to be recognised for that . It's not only what you are doing, it's the leadership that you are showing as a country."
Energy security, high efficiency
On Türkiye’s 12th National Development Plan and the role of climate change in it, Lopez said the progress made in this area can be seen in Türkiye's activities.
Pointing to Ankara's renewable energy initiatives, he said plans for these initiatives are positive and can help fight climate change.
Lopez also said these plans will contribute to energy security and high efficiency in the country.
He said that the World Bank has announced a package of $18 billion for Türkiye's activities in this field in the next three years, of which $12 billion are allocated to support the private sector.
Stating that they also have programs to support the fight against forest fires, the official said that they also work on issues such as water use, drought, and floods.
Stressing that they are trying to increase the intensity of energy sources with low carbon emissions, Lopez underlined: "This is going to be supporting the energy security of the country and reducing the cost."
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”