Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change

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]

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
Formed	29 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)
Type	Environmental
Headquarters	Ankara
Minister responsible	Murat Kurum
Deputy Ministers responsible	Refik Tuzcuoğlu Fatma Varank Hasan Suver Vedad Gürgen
Website	www.csb.gov.tr/en

History

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]

Responsibilities

The ministry is responsible for combating environmental issues in Turkey. A National Environment Agency was established in 2020 but by 2022 had not become operational.^[4]: 115

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.^[5] After the 2023 earthquake President Erdoğan decreed that the ministry would be the only decision maker for new housing projects in earthquake-hit areas.^[6]

Directorates

Directorate of Climate Change

Formed in 2021 the Directorate of Climate Change is responsible for climate change in Turkey.^[7] 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.^[8] As of 2023^[update] the chief climate change envoy is Mehmet Emin Birpınar, a Deputy Minister of Environment.^[9]

See also

• Air pollution in Turkey
• İlbank

References

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. "Türkiye Report 2022". neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
5. "Erdoğan under fire as shoddy Turkish building standards exposed by earthquake". Financial Times. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
6. Buyuk, Hamdi Firat (2023-02-24). "Erdogan Allows Faster Quake Housing With Presidential Decree". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
7. iklim.gov.tr. "About Us - İklim Değişikliği Başkanlığı". iklim.gov.tr. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
8. Turkey 2018 Report p92, European Commission, 17 April 2018
9. 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.