Director of Climate Change Prof. Halil Hasar attended the “Symposium on Climate Resilience Adaptation Strategies and Measures.

19 December 2024

Director of Climate Change Prof. Halil Hasar attended the “Symposium on Climate Resilience Adaptation Strategies and Measures. At the symposium organized by Bartın University, participants discussed topics including “Global Climate Change,” “Climate-Resilient Solutions for Sustainable Environments,” “The Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity,” “Adaptation to Climate Change,” and “The Role of Local Governments in Climate Policies.”

In his opening address, Director Hasar emphasized that threats such as extreme weather events, droughts, floods, and biodiversity loss caused by climate change are no longer distant scenarios, but realities already shaping our lives.

Speaking at the symposium, where the multiple dimensions of climate change were examined in depth, Director Hasar stressed that climate change should not be seen merely as an environmental issue. He noted that it constitutes a far-reaching crisis whose impacts extend from the economy to the social fabric, and from global stability to human security.

Highlighting that climate change is among the most serious global challenges humanity has faced in recent years, Director Hasar made the following points in his remarks:

“Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges humanity has faced in recent years.”

Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges humanity has faced in recent years. The latest reports of the World Meteorological Organization show that our planet has warmed by 1.45 degrees, while the Mediterranean Basin has warmed by more than 1.5 degrees. Although climate change is a global problem in terms of both its causes and consequences, the Mediterranean Basin, of which our country is a part, is feeling its impacts with increasing intensity.

“The world is confronting the escalating and increasingly severe effects of the climate crisis with each passing day.”

The world is confronting the escalating and increasingly severe effects of the climate crisis with each passing day. Threats such as droughts, floods, and biodiversity loss are no longer projections for the distant future, but concrete realities of today. It must be clearly understood that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but a comprehensive crisis affecting many areas, from the economy to social order, and from global stability to human security. The disasters experienced both in our country and around the world call for serious, determined, and carefully calibrated policies in the fight against climate change. If we are to plan a sustainable future, combating climate change must remain at the very top of our agenda. Equally, adaptation efforts must be given due importance at the local level. As the Directorate of Climate Change, we have identified 11 sectors under our Adaptation Action Plan. These sectors include urban water resources, agriculture, fisheries and livestock, biodiversity and ecosystem services, public health, energy, industry, transport and communication, tourism and cultural heritage, social development, and disaster and risk management. In addition, we have prepared a draft climate law to ensure that climate change policies are implemented on a strong and lasting legal foundation. When the Climate Law takes effect, Local Climate Change Action Plans will become mandatory in all 81 provinces and will be prepared jointly with local stakeholders.”

Within the scope of the grant program implemented under the “Enhancing Adaptation Action in Türkiye Project” by the Directorate of Climate Change, grant support has been provided to local governments, universities, and civil society organizations for climate action initiatives. When the Climate Law takes effect, Local Climate Change Action Plans (YİDEP) will become mandatory across all 81 provinces and will be prepared jointly with local stakeholders. We are also developing a draft regulation to establish a clear framework for the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of these plans. The one-day symposium, hosted by Bartın University, was attended by Bartın University Rector Prof. Orhan Uzun, Director General for Combating Desertification and Erosion Prof. Kasım Yenigün, leading academics, senior officials from relevant organizations, and a large number of invited guests.