Zero Istanbul 2050: The First Workshop To Explore Climate Change Strategies At Large Metropolises

Özyeğin University’s Center for Energy, Environment and Economy (CEEE) organized  a workshop with the key sponsorship of Urban Land Institute Turkey (ULI) and SOYAK Holding on 25 May 2010. The workshop that took place at Swissotel aims to explore strategies to study the impact of potential climate changes likely to occur in Istanbul in the long-run.

According to Eurostat, today Istanbul’s population is larger than 19 European countries. Istanbul's share of Turkey's total industrial output is 38%. The ratio of taxes collected in the city by the Turkish government is 40% of the country's total tax revenues. A 2009 study from PriceWaterhouseCoopers listed Istanbul among the top 30 cities of the world according to their GDP estimates in 2025; only two other European cities –London and Paris- are listed higher than Istanbul on the list. Interestingly, London and Paris have about 1.6% per annum GDP growth rate estimation for the years from 2009 to 2025, whereas Istanbul is expected to grow with the rate of about 4.2%.

With such a potential growth rate, it is natural to anticipate that Istanbul is going to be one of the largest metropolises where the impact of climate changes likely to be quite significant. If the business as usual scenario is somewhat applied in Istanbul, and extend of the growth is not planned and controlled, the climate effects of such a growing metropolitan will inevitably be drastic.  The likelihood of such an impact will be further accentuated once it is realized that Istanbul is stretching from Marmara Sea to Black sea through narrow Bosporus and lie on a major earthquake fault line.

A drastic change that may take place in Istanbul is likely to impact the entire region and the European Union. Given that, the workshop explored the potential impact of significant increase in energy requirements and consequences on local and global climate change, pollution, and urban growth, and  social problems that such a change would cause.

Date: 25 May 2010, Tuesday
Venue: Swissotel Istanbul
Time: 14.00‐18.30

Contact:
Dr. Pınar Özuyar
E‐mail: pinar.ozuyarozyegin.edu.tr
Tel: 0216 559 23 46

Prof. Dr. M. Pınar Mengüç
Director, Center for Energy, Environment and Economy
E-mail: pinar.mengucozyegin.edu.tr
Tel: 0216 559 2327