{"id":11449,"date":"2022-12-19T10:10:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T10:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/2022\/12\/sa-2\/"},"modified":"2024-11-20T21:58:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T18:58:03","slug":"environmental-perspective-for-turkish-foreign-policy-senem-atvur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/2022\/12\/environmental-perspective-for-turkish-foreign-policy-senem-atvur\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Perspective for Turkish Foreign Policy – Senem Atvur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
To download the pdf version of article titled “Environmental Perspective for Turkish Foreign Policy” please click the download button.<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Deepening environmental\/ecological degradation and the\nunderstanding of transboundary impacts of ecological problems led to the\ndevelopment of international environmental politics and cooperation. Since 1972,\nwhen the first international initiative on the environment -the UN Stockholm\nConference- was launched, nation-states\u2019 ecological policies have been\ninfluenced by international\/global decisions and\/or regulations. To cope with\nthe complex environmental problems such as pollution, water shortages,\ndeforestation, erosion, biodiversity loss, ozone depletion, nuclear fallout,\nclimate change and their multidimensional (political, economic, social, and\necological) impacts, global cooperation among states and between state and\nnon-state actors become indispensable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As environmental politics have been shaped through\nbottom-up mechanisms within the global ecological negotiations, certain states\nhave begun integrating an environmental perspective into their foreign policy\nstrategies. Environmental foreign policy is a relatively new approach regarding\nstates\u2019 policies toward ecological challenges. It defines how states determine\ntheir position in international negotiations and safeguard their interests in\nintrastate and international bargains regarding environmental regulations. In\nthis context, the role and influence of bureaucracy, political elites, and\ndifferent domestic political and social forces are considered regarding the\nenvironmental foreign policy-making process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey faces crucial environmental challenges due to\nthe ecological destruction in and beyond the state borders. The first\nenvironmental institutions in Turkey were established after 1972 following\ninternational initiatives. Accordingly, Turkish ecological policy has been\nformed harmoniously with international regulations, especially by emphasizing\nthe principle of sustainable development and common but differentiated\nresponsibilities. However, the priority of economic growth and development in Turkish\npolitics has so far affected the implementation of national environmental\nregulations, compliance with international ecological procedures, and\nenvironmental protection processes. Aggravating environmental problems in\nTurkey, such as air, water, land pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity\nloss, create vital risks for health, agriculture, and economic and ecological\nsustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, as Turkey is located in one of the climate\nhotspots of the World -the Mediterranean Basin- the vulnerability of the\ncountry has been rising. While the current environmental problems could not be\nhandled solely by the national and\/or local governments, climate change, with\nits potential to multiply the existing risks, poses a significant challenge for\nTurkey. Therefore, the need for a comprehensive environmental policy that\nfocuses on the root causes of ecological problems and considers future\ngenerations’ rights has been increasing. Undoubtedly, this new political\nperspective should include an environmental foreign policy approach, not only\nfor defending the state\u2019s interests in international negotiations and not to be\nexcluded from the global community in climate combat but also for strengthening\nthe environmental\/ecological and climate resilience of the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental issues and climate change have been\nsecondary to Turkish foreign policy. During the ratification process of the\nKyoto Protocol, Turkey used diplomatic instruments to change the country’s\nposition regarding the responsibility to reduce carbon emissions and assist\ndeveloping countries. It did not ratify the Paris Agreement for five years with\nsimilar economic concerns. Since Turkey has not identified environmental issues\nand climate change as primary risks or threats, its foreign policy strategy\ndoes not include a specific and comprehensive ecological approach. However,\nTurkey\u2019s difficult position in climate negotiations due to the delayed\nratification process and the lack of coordination among the national\ninstitutions working on environmental issues reveal that a new integrated\napproach is needed to execute an active foreign policy regarding environmental\nand climate change policies, develop cooperation between domestic and\ninternational institutions, improve country\u2019s prestige, and create a vision\nforeseeing future risks and opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The climate crisis, one of the most challenging\nproblems in the global system, creates a vacuum at the intersection of\ndeepening ecological, social, economic, and political concerns. Climate\nmitigation and adaptation policy achievement, which depends on the states\u2019\ndecisions, commitments, and multipartite cooperation, are vital for coping with\nclimate change’s current and future impacts. Beyond participating in climate\nnegotiations, it is necessary to play an active role in them to improve\ncooperation with different actors -states, corporations, and civil society-to\nstrengthen resilience, and influence other actors\u2019 positions. The world is on\nthe threshold of a wide-ranging transformation process; climate change, new\ntechnologies, renewable energy, Industry 4.0, and the green economy encourage\nall actors, institutions, and practices to change. Therefore, an environmental\nperspective integrated into the Turkish foreign policy would ensure an active\nclimate strategy. This strategy could also serve as a basis to follow and adapt\nto the global transformation processes. This environmental perspective would no\ndoubt be an alternative to the economy-oriented policies of Turkey that favor\nshort-term economic interests and the sustainability of economic growth.\nHowever, a new perspective prioritizing ecological sustainability and social\nequity would improve Turkey\u2019s environmental and climate policies and increase\nits contribution to climate combat and global environmental protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating an ecological perspective for foreign policy\nis not easy as this perspective prioritizes the interdependence between nature\nand humans and aims to balance economic and social needs with ecological\nsustainability and the rights of other species. However, an environmental\nforeign policy, which is more mainstream than the former, ensures at least the\nimplementation of more conscious policies for environmental protection, climate\ncombat, and international cooperation. In this regard, Turkey\u2019s environmental\nforeign policy could be considered a realistic choice rather than a romantic\naspect. First, from an ecological perspective, Turkey could improve its\nposition in climate negotiations, participate in multilateral cooperation to\ndevelop its mitigation and adaptation measures, and strengthen its bargaining\ncapacity to access new renewable technologies. Additionally, enhancing climate\ncooperation could create a spill-over effect to establish political relations\nfor solving everyday problems. Hence, emissions reduction could be facilitated,\nand the resilience of the states, societies, and vulnerable communities, in\nparticular, could be improved by preserving nature, building social justice,\nand considering future generations\u2019 rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, adopting an environmental perspective could\nalso be compatible with the central aspect of Turkish foreign policy. \u201cPeace at\nhome, peace in the world\u201d, the long-used motto of the Turkish foreign policy,\ncould also be referred to in connection with the climate crisis. As the impacts\nof climate change have the potential to create different risks to the state,\npeople, economy, social integrity, and biodiversity in Turkey, the\nenvironmental perspective might be the key to maintaining security in a\nbroadened way. Hence, Turkey\u2019s domestic and foreign policy strategies could be\nintegrated to improve living conditions, the sustainability of ecosystems, and\na fair economic model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, climate change has been causing\ninterrelated problems threatening the political and socio-economic stability,\nhuman life, and the ecosystem in the immediate neighborhood. Thus, crises\ninflamed in these regions would possibly affect Turkey\u2019s security and\nstability. Therefore, if Turkish foreign policy comprises an environmental perspective\nthat aims to contribute to regional peace and play an active role in solving\nhumanitarian crises, Turkey might present more proactive approaches to future\nchallenges caused by climate change and other consequences of ecological\ndestruction. In this regard, it must be remembered that climate change has the\npotential to galvanize intra and inter-state conflicts. As a result of an\noffensive foreign policy prioritizing military power or a conflictual\nperspective undermining compromise and reconciliation, international discords,\nnew migration flows, and intermingled humanitarian and environmental crises\ncould be aggravated and become more problematic to solve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the climate projections based on\nscientific data, even in optimistic scenarios, humanity will face worsening\neconomic, social, political, and environmental challenges by the second half of\nthe 21st century. In this sense, the future of the international system and\ncommunity will depend on the states’ preferences on whether they isolate\nthemselves from the international system to handle these complex risks or\ncreate global horizontal cooperation between states and non-state actors.\nForeign policy strengthened with an environmental aspect could be the\ncornerstone of this kind of cooperation. Therefore, if Turkey redesigns its\nforeign policy with an ecological perspective, it could be easier to\nholistically consider the impacts of environmental degradation and climate\nchange, humanitarian crises, and political conflicts. Hence, the resilience of\nTurkey toward the future of intersected concerns could be strengthened. In an\nevolving global system, Turkey could find a new place and redefine its position\nfor the sake of future generations only if it could understand the pertinence\nof the environment for a life of dignity and sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Assoc. Prof. Senem Atvur, Akdeniz University<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senem Atvur graduated from Galatasaray University, Department of International Relations in 2004. In 2008, she received her master’s degree from Akdeniz University, Department of Public Administration; In 2012, she completed her doctorate in the same department with her thesis titled \u201cThe Consequences of Global-Local Social Movements Against Global Water Policies\u201d. Between 2010-2011, at the Universit\u00e9 de Poitiers in France for her doctoral thesis research; Between 2014 and 2015, she was at the Coventry University Center for Trust, Peace and Social Relations in England with a T\u00dcB\u0130TAK scholarship for post-doctoral research. She has been working as a faculty member at Akdeniz University International Relations Department since 2014. She received the title of Associate Professor in 2020. She works on environmental policies, climate change and water problems, ecological security, international and regional policies. In addition, she gives lectures such as International Relations Theories, International Environmental Problems, Introduction to International Relations.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

To cite this work: <\/strong> Senem Atvur, \u201cEnvironmental Perspective for Turkish Foreign Policy” Panorama, Online, 19 December 2022, https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/sa\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n
\n

This article has been prepared with the support provided to the International Relations Council<\/a> and the Global Academy<\/a> by the Heinrich B\u00f6ll Stiftung Association Turkey Representative within the scope of the project titled ‘Foreign Policy for the 21st Century; Peaceful, Equitable, and Dynamic Turkey’.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Copyright@UIKPanorama. All on-line and print rights reserved. Opinions expressed in works published by the Panorama belongs to the authors alone unless otherwise stated, and do not imply endorsement by the IRCT, Global Academy, or the Editors\/Editorial Board of Panorama.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deepening environmental\/ecological degradation and the understanding of transboundary impacts of ecological problems led to the development of international environmental politics and cooperation. Since 1972, when the first international initiative on the environment -the UN Stockholm Conference- was launched, nation-states\u2019 ecological policies have been influenced by international\/global decisions and\/or regulations. To cope with the complex environmental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":9617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[510,486,508],"tags":[608,656,563,713,650],"class_list":["post-11449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-100-years-of-the-republic","category-opinion","category-turkey","tag-energy-environment-resources","tag-english","tag-foreign-policy-and-diplomacy","tag-heinrich-boll-foundation","tag-turkiye"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalpanorama.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}