The parliamentary conference Climate Change, Global Threats & Low Carbon Prosperity Towards Copenhagen, hosted by Haluk Özdalga MP, Chairman of the Environment Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and Focal Point of GLOBE Europe in Turkey, was held in Istanbul on 12 November.

The conference, organised jointly by the Foreign Relations and Environment Committee teams of the Grand Turkish National Assembly and GLOBE Europe, was attended by 11 MPs from the Environment and Industry, Energy, Trade and Natural Resources Committees of the Grand National Assembly and a selection of delegates from the Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Environment, Industry and Trade, Public Works and Settlement, Finance, Communications and State Planning, plus representatives from the business sector and the civil society. Click here for a full list of participants.

Turkish Environment Minister Prof. Dr. Veysel Eroglu's keynote speech was followed by two sessions in which Turkish and European scientists, high-level Turkish ministerial delegates, the Director or the Swedish Ministry for the Environment, the First Delegate of the European Commission's Delegation to Turkey and GLOBE parliamentarians shared with the participants an update on the latest scientific evidence on climate change, the ongoing UNFCCC negotiations in the run-up to Copenhagen, and discussed a roadmap for Turkish low-carbon economic development and the expansion of renewable energy in Turkey. Click here to see the agenda.

Chairman Ozdalga closed the conference presenting the following Findings and Recommendations:

We take note of the presentations regarding Turkey's remarkable climate change efforts and preparations that highlight a position different to that of other Annex 1 countries.

a) We welcome the Key Messages of the GLOBE Copenhagen Legislators Forum of 24-25 October 2009 as presented in Annex I:

• There is cross-party support in the major economies for an ambitious, effective and equitable outcome from COP15 that provides a reasonable chance of avoiding dangerous climate change. Legislators recognize that there is a scientific view that global average temperature rise ought not exceed 2 degrees Celsius

• An ambitious, effective and equitable post-2012 climate change framework that meets the success criteria below will be a driver for sustainable economic development, job creation, greater energy and climate security, improved health and reduced poverty

• Legislators can drive the transition to a low carbon economy now; the Commission has agreed a set of legislative principles that legislators are committed to taking forward in their domestic parliaments

b) We welcome and support the proposed Success Criteria for COP15 of the Conclusions of the GLOBE Copenhagen Legislators Forum as presented in Annex I. (click here)


3. We welcome the contributions of the distinguished renewable energy policy experts gathered today and support their recommendations for an ambitious and successful deployment of clean renewable energy supported by feed in tariffs in Turkey, as presented in Annex II.

4. We agree that all countries should participate in the COP15 negotiations being prepared with national climate change plans as ambitious as possible in order to be able to move beyond their first negotiation position if other key players agree to do the same.

5. National parliamentarians shall play a larger role in climate change politics and engage in cross-party, cross-border parliamentary cooperation to this end.

Click here to see the full Findings and Recommendations document with annexes