Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change

Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change
Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı

Headquarters of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change in Ankara, Turkey.
Agency overview
Formed29 June 2011
Preceding agencies
  • Ministry of Public Works (1920–1983)
  • Ministry of Development and Housing (1958–1983)
  • Ministry of Public Works and Housing (1983–2011)
TypeEnvironmental
HeadquartersAnkara
Minister responsible
Deputy Ministers responsible
Websitewww.csb.gov.tr/en

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change (Turkish: Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı) is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for the environment, public works,[clarification needed] and urban planning in Turkey. The ministry is headed by Murat Kurum.[1]

History

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The Ministry was formed in 1983 through the merger of the Ministry of Public Works (Turkish: Bayındırlık Bakanlığı, formed 3 May 1920) and the Ministry of Development and Housing (Turkish: İmar ve İskan Bakanlığı, formed 1958). The result was the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (Turkish: Bayındırlık ve İskan Bakanlığı), which was renamed to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation in 2011.[2] In 2021 climate change was added to the name.[3]

Organization

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The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change is headed by a Minister who is appointed by the President of Turkey. The ministry has several departments and agencies, including the General Directorate of Environmental Management, the General Directorate of Environmental Impact Assessment, the General Directorate of Spatial Planning, the General Directorate of Environmental Education and Public Participation, and the General Directorate of Climate Change.

Responsibilities

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The ministry is responsible for combating climate change in Turkey,[4] and environmental issues in Turkey. Despite the Energy Ministry being represented on the Climate Change and Air Management Coordination Board, in 2018 the European Commission criticised the lack of co-ordination between the climate change policy and energy policy of Turkey.[5] As of 2023 the chief climate change envoy is Mehmet Emin Birpınar, a Deputy Minister of Environment.[6] According to the ministry the 2018 building standards amnesty raised 24 billion lira (4.2 billion USD), however as of 2023 it is not yet known what proportion of the buildings that collapsed in the 2023 quake had benefitted from building standards amnesties.[7] After the 2023 earthquake President Erdoğan decreed that the ministry would be the only decision maker for new housing projects in earthquake-hit areas.[8]

A National Environment Agency was established in 2020 but by 2022 had not become operational.[9]: 115 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Yeni Kabine listesi açıklandı, bakanlar belli oldu! İşte yeni Bakanlar Kurulu isim listesi". Habertürk (in Turkish). 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Our History". Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  3. ^ "'Climate change' added to the name of Turkey's Ministry of Environment and Urbanization". Bianet.
  4. ^ "Turkey's Climate Change Policy, Legal and Institutional Framework" (PDF).
  5. ^ Turkey 2018 Report p92, European Commission, 17 April 2018
  6. ^ csb.gov.tr. "Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin BİRPINAR - T.C. Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı". csb.gov.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  7. ^ "Erdoğan under fire as shoddy Turkish building standards exposed by earthquake". Financial Times. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  8. ^ Buyuk, Hamdi Firat (2023-02-24). "Erdogan Allows Faster Quake Housing With Presidential Decree". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  9. ^ "Türkiye Report 2022". neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2023-04-27.