Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Urban Research and Development Center (URDC) Executive Board Vice Director and EMU Architecture Faculty, Department of Architecture academic staff member Assist. Prof. Dr. Pınar Uluçay Righelato made a statement on the occasion of Earth Day 2023. The statement reads as follows:
“Invest in Our World”
“On its 52nd anniversary, ‘Earth Day’ volunteers draw attention to the dangers of climate change in our world and invite governments, citizens, and businesses to fulfill their responsibilities for a more livable world with the slogan ‘We are all responsible’ to produce faster solutions.
In this context, we encounter many news trying to stimulate our minds. A series of news talk about the increase in the global warming and the possible disasters that might arise unless the increase is prevented. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate (IPCC) puts forward a scientific climate change report which is the main source for the media.
In the said report, the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is demonstrated. The “1.5°C in Global Warming Report” of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will play a guiding role in the path and decisions to be taken by the countries of the world against global climate change, states that a warming of 1.5°C in terms of possible climatic effects and emphasizes that it will be relatively safer than 2°C. Moreover, according to the report, a rise in global temperatures above 2°C will not only result in the loss of natural habitats and species, but also lead to devastating consequences that will directly affect human life, health, welfare, security and economy as a result of melting glaciers and rising sea levels.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted during the United Nations Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is an international organization created to assist in the formulation of strategies to help stabilize greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. The participating countries of the UNFCCC are responsible for regularly holding a “Conference of the Parties” (COP) to determine the next step towards climate protection. An important meeting organized within this framework was the 1997 UNFCCC meeting held in Kyoto, Japan. The agreement that emerged from this meeting, which became known as the Kyoto Protocol later, is the first document approved by the signatory countries and contains legally binding obligations on greenhouse gas emissions, reductions, and limits. The applicability of this document has been determined for the periods 2008-2012 and 2013-2020. This convention is binding only on developed countries and imposes a heavier burden on them under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. Some amendments were added to the Kyoto Protocol in December 2012. Known as the Doha Amendment, these changes were adopted after the initial commitment was completed. The amendment aimed to add new greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the next commitment period (2013 to 2020). Thirty-seven developed countries and the European Community were part of the initial commitment to a 5% greenhouse gas reduction target. Participating countries committed to 18% greenhouse gas reductions during the second commitment period compared to 1990 levels.
Even beyond 2020, the end of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement was adopted at the UNFCCC's 21st Conference of the Parties, held in Paris in 2015, as it is imperative to address climate change. This is a very important environmental agreement whose idea has been approved by almost every country to address climate change and its effects. The Paris Agreement offers developing countries the chance to join with developed countries in the fight against global warming. The agreement requires all major greenhouse gas emitters to reduce emissions and gradually strengthen their commitments. Currently, every nation on the planet (197 in number) is part of the Paris Agreement. 180 out of 197 countries officially joined the Paris Agreement. As of the end of 2019, only two countries (Iran and Turkey) did not formally join the agreement.
Although the TRNC is not under such a commitment, because the 'islands' are generally in danger of being dependent on the mainland, it is obliged to produce environment-friendly and sustainable solutions for the continuity of human life on the island, especially in the fields of energy, water and waste management, transportation, and housing production. We can all do many things to protect our earth and planet for future generations. Let’s start today. Let’s plant trees, consume less energy, reduce our resource use, save, reuse, and recycle. There is no other world, no other planet for future generations. Responsibility is ours”.
