THE Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation has published a new Cities Adaptation Support Package that has been prepared by environmental consultancy Ricardo-AEA.
The Support Package is aimed at Turkish municipalities and provides a guide to climate change adaptation, which seeks to reduce the risks posed by climate change, such as flooding and drought. Climate change threatens urban infrastructure and critical services such as electricity, water and emergency services. Turkey’s new Support Package provides a step-by-step process for responding to these risks. It is the only city-level adaptation guide available in Turkish.
Ricardo-AEA and its partners developed the Support Package following a pilot capacity building project in Bursa, Turkey, which was funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Prosperity Fund. As part of the project Ricardo-AEA and its partner Bluecern provided capacity building training to Bursa Metropolitan Municipality to help develop its climate change adaptation plan for the city of Bursa.
The recently published Support Package is tailored to Turkey’s context and highlights the likely climate impacts. It provides a step-by-step process for preparing a city-level adaptation plan and includes practical activities authorities can take to explore climate change issues within their municipality and with stakeholders.
Ricardo-AEA senior consultant, Raphael Sibille, said: “The package includes useful advice on how to develop an adaptation strategy, from how to begin the planning process, through to understanding climate risks and implementing adaptation measures.
“Some of the measures that Turkish municipalities can take to adapt to climate change include planting street trees that provide urban cooling and reduce the risk of flooding, introducing smart city technology, protecting water
supplies and strengthening building codes. Ultimately, improving the adaptation capacity of
Turkey’s cities will help protect lives, and will provide the basis for continuing economic growth in the face of increasing environmental pressures.”
The Cities Adaptation Support Package is available on the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation’s website at www.csb.gov.tr.
Further information on Ricardo-AEA’s climate adaptation services can be found at www.ricardo-aea.com/cms/climate-resilience-and-adaptation/.
