A snapshot of the environmental incidents of 2022 by the TEMA Foundation

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, the gradual reduction of agricultural lands and the inability to reach adequate and healthy food and water were among the main environmental problems of our world in 2022.

Throughout the year, there were good developments as well as negative ones on the environmental agenda. The TEMA Foundation, which continues its work for nature, assessed the prominent good and bad environmental incidents of 2022.

Environmental news of 2022 raising hopes

Good news from Mount Ida

In the lawsuit we filed regarding the cancellation of the "EIA positive" decision of the Halilağa Copper Mine project, Çanakkale 1st Administrative Court decided to cancel the action. In the EIA report, it was stated that only tangible cultural assets were mentioned, intangible cultural assets were ignored, the measures to be taken for tangible cultural assets were left to the miners, and it was not possible to bring soil from outside the site for rehabilitation in accordance with the Implementing Regulation of Article 16 of the Forestry Law. It was concluded that the EIA report was not in compliance with the law and legislation on the grounds that it was not sufficient and acceptable in these matters, and the EIA positive decision was annulled. Once again life won in Mount Ida, of which 79% are licenced to Group IV mines, one of the ancient geographies of Türkiye with its rich biological diversity, forests, agriculture and cultural areas.

Good news from Kahramanmaraş!

“EIA positive” decisions were annulled in the lawsuits filed against Afşin C Thermal Power Plant and Akbayır Thermal Power Plant, which are planned to be established in Kahramanmaraş. The "Decision of the Soil Conservation Board and No-objection of the Ministry", which allow the misuse of agricultural lands on which Afşin C Thermal Power Plant will be built, were also annulled by the court.

Cancellation decision on the Regulation on the Storage of Thermal Power Plant Wastes

The wastes generated as a result of the activities of thermal power plants are toxic, pollute ground and surface waters and agricultural lands and adversely affect the environment and human health. The TEMA Foundation filed a lawsuit for annulment of the Provisional Article 3 of the Regulation on the Regular Storage of Wastes, which was published in the Official Gazette numbered 30990, dated 26/12/2019.

In the justification of the action for annulment, it was stated that there was not required and enough clarity in the aforementioned provisional article about the content of the academic report required for the "environmental permit" and the "environmental permit and license certificate", which must be obtained within the scope of the legislation in order to continue the storage of wastes, about the competence of the author of the report and about by whom and according to which criteria the report developed will be approved.

On the other hand, it was claimed that the article did not contain the elements of a provisional article, that a certain period or condition was not foreseen for its use, that although it was a provisional article, it was almost a general regulation in terms of the way it was set and the legal norm it brought, and this was not in accordance with the legislation making technique.

Finding these reasons justified, the court decided to cancel the Provisional Article 3 of the Regulation on the Regular Landfilling of Wastes.

Long live our olive trees

On March 1, 2022, all olive groves of Anatolia were opened to mining with an amendment in the regulation that did not comply with the laws and international agreements. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the amendment that stirred reactions. With the decision of the Council of State to stay the execution following the lawsuits filed, the said amendment was not implemented.

However, later on, on December 10, the "Draft Law on Amending the Electricity Market Law and Some Laws and the Decree Law No. 375" was presented to the Parliament, paving the way for mining in olive groves. During the commission meetings, the article on "opening our olive groves to mining with the law proposal" was withdrawn.

Thus, our olive trees were protected from the threat of mining. With their thousands of years of immunity, our olive trees continue to be the symbol of peace and hope.

The ship full of poison went back!

Citizens took action after it was heard that the NAe Sao Paulo ship, which contained approximately 600 tons of asbestos, had set off from Brazil to be dismantled in Türkiye. Although the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change received information that there was 9 tons of asbestos on board and there was no risk, people from Aliağa and across Türkiye started a petition and filed lawsuits. After the reactions, it was announced that the decision to bring to the ship to Türkiye was abandoned. 

Loss and Damage Fund decision of the COP27

At the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022, the Loss-Damage Fund, which has been demanded for many years, was established with the agreement of the parties. All details and uncertainties regarding the Loss-Damage Fund were left to the agenda of the COP28. The Fund will function as a kind of financial support mechanism that developed countries will provide to developing and least developed countries. While Pakistan and island countries played an important role in the creation of the Fund, the decision was welcomed with great joy.

Good news from environment plans

Agricultural lands and Hersek Lagoon won in Yalova

In our lawsuit against the 1/50.000 scaled environment plan of Yalova Province, which was approved in 2018 and where plan decisions were developed that would pose a threat to the natural assets in the province, tourism-oriented constructions in the region were cancelled as they would damage the Hersek Lagoon, which is of great importance for water birds. The new organised industrial zones and urban development areas, which were developed against the principle of agricultural sustainability and would create development pressure on agricultural lands, natural and historical areas in the region, were found to be contrary to the public interest. Agricultural lands and Hersek Lagoon won in Yalova.

Flood plains will be protected in Van, Muş and Bitlis

The provision added to the environment plan, which will lead to the construction in flood plains in the Van-Bitlis-Muş Planning Region, was cancelled by the Council of State. Thus, intervention to nature was kept to a minimum, and natural disasters were prevented considering natural thresholds and bearing capacities.

Council of State did not allow marina in Bozburun and industry in Bozkurt, Denizli

The Council of State cancelled the marina, which was planned to be built in Bozburun through the amendment to the plan introduced within the scope of the Aydın-Muğla Denizli environment plan in 2009, as it was against the principles of urban planning and planning, since it involved the risk of damaging the natural and physical structure and the archaeological site in the region. In addition, the industrial development planned on agricultural lands in Bozkurt district of Denizli province was cancelled as it was found to conflict with the public interest.

Nature won in the East Blacksea Region

Within the scope of the 1/100,000 scale environmental plan for the Ordu-Trabzon-Rize-Giresun-Gümüşhane-Artvin Planning Region approved in 2011, the planning decision proposing an industrial area and an urban residential area to the coastal part of Yomra district of Trabzon, which will lead to the destruction of agricultural lands, on which products specific to  the Eastern Blacksea region are produced, the deterioration of the natural landscape texture of the region, and the opening of agricultural areas with very unique ecological values for construction was cancelled.

In the same plan, the proposal of a mining industry in the area without considering the ecological values of the İkizdere Valley was found to conflict with the public interest, planning and urbanism principles.

In the decision of the Council of State, it was underlined that the environmental effects of hydroelectric power plants should be investigated and evaluated in detail by taking into account the integrity of the basin, and necessary protection measures should be adopted in order not to adversely affect the ecosystem balance of the region in the calculations of water flow to be used in HEPPs. It was stated that the plan did not contain the basic principles and policies that would guide the sub-scale plans for these issues, and it was agreed to cancel it.

Bad news about environment in 2022

Climate crisis deepens

The effects of the climate crisis were exacerbated in 2022. Ten climate disasters occurring in 2022 caused millions of people to be displaced, thousands of lives lost and more than $200 billion in economic damage.

Extreme heat waves followed Storm Eunice, which hit Europe, while heavy rains that flooded two-thirds of Pakistan killed 1,739 people and displaced a large portion of the population. The floods also hit South Africa and Australia. In the last weeks of 2022, the snowstorm in the USA claimed more than 60 lives.

In Türkiye, on the other hand, there is a dry and relatively warm winter season. As November 2022 was the 5th hottest month of the last 52 years, the average temperature of the 1991-2020 autumn season was 1.2°C above the seasonal normals. In the period of October 2021-September 2022, precipitation decreased by 3.9% compared to the 1991-2020 average. According to the three-month drought assessment of September-November 2022, an extraordinary drought is observed in the interior of the Marmara and Aegean regions.

Türkiye did not achieve the expected emission reduction target

Türkiye updated its National Contribution Statement announced in 2015 at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Egypt this year. Türkiye has committed to reduce its emissions by 41%, which is expected to be 1175 million tons of CO2e in 2030, in line with the baseline scenario put in 2015. However, when the scenario is examined, Türkiye’s reduction target corresponds to an increase of more than 30%.

As the TEMA Foundation, we argue that calculations should be made on the current situation with an absolute reduction target of at least 35%, and that the current emissions should be lowered, otherwise there will be no contribution to halting the increase in planetary temperature, and that Türkiye should stop the utilisation of fossil fuels as soon as possible.

No abandonment of coal

"Abandonment of Coal" decision was not included in the final declaration of the Climate Council held in Konya in February by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. It is noteworthy that there is no reduction target in fossil fuel consumption in the draft Climate Law submitted for consideration in 2022.

Mines are not valuable than our living spaces

Mining activities, which cause irreversible damage to protected areas, forest areas, fertile agricultural lands and living areas, pose more serious threats to our living spaces each and every day.

As the TEMA Foundation, with our studies conducted on group IV mining licenses, we have determined that an average of 67% in 28 provinces in Türkiye are licensed for mining.

The distribution of mining licenses by province is as follows; Afyonkarahisar 52%, Artvin 71%, Bayburt 65%, Erzincan-Tunceli 52%, Erzurum 63%, Eskişehir 71%, Giresun 85%, Gümüşhane 93%, Kahramanmaraş 58%, Karaman 38%, Mount Ida 79%, Kütahya 92%, Muğla 59%, Ordu 74%, Siirt-Şırnak-Batman 34%, Sivas 65%, Rize 82%, Tekirdağ-Kırklareli 65%, Tokat 46%, Trabzon 77%, Uşak 80% and Zonguldak-Bartın 72%.

As the TEMA Foundation, we demand that it is banned through law to conduct mining activities in vital areas in order to protect our natural assets, cultural values and to ensure food safety.

Another mining accident!

On June 21, the cyanide solution pipes of the Çöpler Gold Mine, located 350 meters from the Euphrates river basin and only 250 meters from the living areas, in the İliç district of Erzincan, exploded.

Only in the last 2 years, 7 mine tailing pond collapses and leakage incidents, known by the public in Türkiye, have happened. Unfortunately, gold mining projects are increasing in our lands. Mining facilities that can be built anywhere by law, regardless of protected areas and drinking-utility water dams; EIA projects that are incomplete, incompatible with scientific reality, and deficiencies in inspection are increasing day by day. The threat continues in the whole geography, especially in Erzincan, Artvin, Fatsa, Mount Ida, Gediz Basin and Tokat.

42 miners lost their lives

On October 14, in the Amasra district of Bartın, a fire pit explosion took place in the mine affiliated with the Amasra Directorate of Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise Institution (TTK). Of the 110 miners underground, 42 died in the explosion.

The Amasra Mining Accident Investigation Commission was established in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The preliminary report of the expert on the mining accident, which drew attention to negligence, was sent to the Amasra Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In the report, it was stated that the failure of investments and projects to improve mine ventilation played an important role in the occurrence of the incident.

The watch continues in Akbelen

The watch of the people of İkizköy, who resisted the activities of the mining area wanted to be built in the Akbelen Forest of the Milas district of Muğla, is on its 550th day.

In the lawsuit filed for the cancellation of the permission that opened the forest to mining activities, expert investigation was conducted three times. Finally, after the expert report that marked the forest area as 'suitable for mining’, the court annulled the 'stay of execution' decision. İkizköy Environment Committee objected to the last expert report and the stay of execution decision. Despite all the negative developments, the people of İkizköy continue to keep watch in order not to give up on the Akbelen Forest.

Canal İstanbul Project continues despite the expert report

Within the scope of the Canal İstanbul Project, in 2020, with a change in the environment plan, the constructions that threaten our natural assets in the north of İstanbul were increased. In the lawsuit we filed against this, the experts determined that the Canal İstanbul Project and the new settlement in its vicinity are against the principles of planning, urbanism and public interest in the light of our objections.

In the expert report, it was stated with the project, that the disappearance of the Sazlıdere Dam and the possibility of salting of the Terkos Dam Lake, pose a risk for the city's drinking water supply, while the settlements were directed to the north at the expense of entering the forest, agriculture, pasture and drinking water basins that need to be protected. İstanbul Administrative Court rejected our request for stay of execution despite the expert report, which stressed that the historical macroform development of İstanbul was changed in violation of the upper scale spatial decisions and that the project was a "real estate development project".

Mega industrial zones will bring ecological destruction rather than economic benefit

The location selection decisions of the "mega-industrial zones", which are stated to be a new economic development move for Türkiye, will bring ecological destruction rather than economic benefit. We have determined that the projects are planned in a way that will cause irreparable damage to important natural areas, without a plan that will protect the unique ecosystem areas that Türkiye has. Immediate investment decisions will cause irreversible losses for Türkiye.

We remind once again that a development move that contradicts ecological values and poses a threat to biodiversity and natural assets is not sustainable.

We are raising hope!                                                                           TEMA Foundation