The Climate Adaptive City That Protects The Environment

Clean environment,Climate change adaptation,Carbon neutral,Protection,Sustainability,

4

Goal

30

Objective

Throughout the world, natural ecosystems are rapidly deteriorating due to human activities, and natural resources are exhausted. As these activities become increasingly unsustainable, excessive urbanisation causes different types of pollution and global warming in line with increasing emissions. Events such as extreme precipitation, drought and loss of biodiversity, which we experience with the effect of global temperature increases, are called climate crises, one of the biggest threats to life today.

Human activities and cities, which are the source of the climate crisis, take the most vital damages from the climate crisis. Istanbul is vulnerable to many effects such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels, daily maximum temperature increases and an increase in the number of dry days. On the other hand, Istanbul stands out among the world's metropolises with its unique biodiversity and forest capacity. The Northern Forests of Istanbul offer critical benefits in reducing climate change's impact and the climate crisis's effects.

Taking part in the global struggle to reduce carbon emissions, Istanbul will be a "city that protects the environment and adapts to the changing climate" in 2050. Thanks to the four goals, it has set out to protect its inhabitants against the climate crisis, reduce vulnerabilities and repair the damage it has created in the natural environment.

Goals

Large-scale infrastructure investments in the north of Istanbul caused the built environment to extend north direction, and the residential area in Istanbul has doubled since 1975. This northward expansion has damaged forest areas, watersheds and biodiversity, which are vital for Istanbul. In this direction, controlling the sprawl of the built environment, protecting natural resources and reintegrating the destroyed ecosystems into the ecosystem are critical objectives.

Objectives

1

Creating a buffer zone to control the expansion of the built environment

Urban sprawl,Ecology,Clean environment,Planning,Green space,Public space,

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2

Protecting watersheds, surface and underground water resources

Urban sprawl,Ecology,Clean environment,Planning,Water resources,Monitoring Auditing,

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3

Reintroducing damaged wetlands such as streams and lakes to the ecosystem

Ecosystem,Water resources,Ecology,

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4

Protecting coastal and marine ecosystems through the integrated coastal areas management approach

Protection,Ecosystem,Sea Coastal Areas,Governance,

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5

Integrating fragmented ecosystems, primarily the Northern Forests

Ecosystem,Green space,Ecology,Protection,

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6

Recognizing and protecting all living beings as elements of the ecosystem and part of the urban culture

Ecosystem,Protection,Biodiversity,

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7

Preserving feeding and resting areas of bird species, mainly migratory and visitor species, in the city

Ecosystem,Protection,Biodiversity,Green space,

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8

Preparing an inventory on biodiversity, especially endemic and endangered species, and raising international awareness

Protection,Biodiversity,Social awareness,Monitoring Auditing,

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The uncontrolled development of human activities and the inadequacy of monitoring-inspection and penalty mechanisms cause many problems such as air, soil, water and noise pollution. These problems negatively affect Istanbul's quality of life and ecological values and interrupt the fight against the climate crisis. In this context, targets for emission reduction, energy efficiency, waste management and pollution prevention are presented.

Objectives

1

Expanding the scope of emission reduction practices to improve air quality and enhancing measurement systems

Clean environment,Monitoring Auditing,Emission,Carbon neutral,Climate change adaptation,

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2

Reducing marine and coastal pollution through effective waste management

Sea Coastal Areas,Monitoring Auditing,Ecosystem,Clean environment,Carbon neutral,Climate change adaptation,

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3

Ensuring energy efficiency and reducing consumption, increasing the share of renewable energy in energy production and consumption

Productivity,Social awareness,Clean energy,Emission,

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4

Supporting sectors towards green transformation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Industry,Emission,Climate change adaptation,Climate change adaptation,

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5

Reducing the carbon footprint of existing structures and constructing new structures as low-carbon structures

Productivity,Clean energy,Carbon neutral,Carbon neutral,Social awareness,Active Mobility,

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6

Expanding eco-friendly transportation and reducing transport emissions

Transportation Logistics,Climate change adaptation,Clean environment,Sustainability,Ecosystem,

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7

Adopting the zero-waste approach to reduce waste generation at source, increasing reuse and recycling

Infrastructure,Sustainability,Ecology,Clean environment,Participation,

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8

Using environmentally friendly lighting systems to reduce light pollution

Clean environment,Urban area,Transportation Logistics,Social awareness,

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9

Increasing practices and awareness-raising activities to reduce noise pollution

Clean environment,Protection,Urban area,Ecosystem,Monitoring Auditing,Social awareness,

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10

Monitoring and reducing the adverse impacts of different sectors and urban uses on soil contamination

Sea Coastal Areas,Agriculture,Clean environment,Social awareness,Monitoring Auditing,

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The effects of climate change, such as extreme weather events and slow-onset effects such as drought and sea level rise, have a destructive impact on life on land, marine life, urban infrastructure, and amenities. While Istanbul heavily depends on energy, water and food supply, the adaptation capacity becomes one of the most critical competencies. In addition, citizen participation has become an indispensable requirement in the fight against the climate crisis.

Objectives

1

Reducing the vulnerability of the urban amenities and the infrastructure against climate risks and increasing adaptive capacity

Climate change adaptation,Urban area,Vulnerability,Infrastructure,

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2

Expanding the urban carbon sinks and adopting climate-friendly landscapes

Climate change adaptation,Green space,Carbon neutral,

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3

Protecting cultural heritage against the effects of the climate crisis and strengthening its role in the climate action

Climate change adaptation,Protection,Cultural heritage,Active Mobility,Green space,Carbon neutral,

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4

Reducing vulnerability of the food supply processes against climate risks, using urban agricultural areas effectively

Climate change adaptation,Vulnerability,Resilience,food,Agriculture,Urban area,

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5

Increasing environmental management capacity and establishing participatory governance mechanisms

Clean environment,Education,Coordination,Governance,Participation,

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6

Increasing citizens' environmental awareness and ensuring their participation in the climate action

Clean environment,Climate change adaptation,Social awareness,Clean environment,Governance,Participation,

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7

Supporting the civil space to strengthen Istanbul's climate action

Climate change adaptation,Civil Space,Clean environment,Participation,

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The destructive effects of the climate crisis have unequal consequences on urban space and society. The disadvantaged groups such as the urban poor, disabled people and the elderly face various challenges regularly, including income inequality, low quality of life and housing. As current challenges cause these groups to be disadvantaged, the impacts of the climate crisis are more intense on these groups, and the existing injustices deepen. For this reason, essential objectives are improving preventive healthcare, preventing economic inequalities that may occur due to adaptation policies, and implementing just transition and supervision mechanisms.

Objectives

1

Identifying and reducing society's vulnerability to the multidimensional impacts of the climate crisis

Climate change adaptation,Vulnerability,Resilience,

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2

Minimising the effects of climate risks on human health through preventive healthcare

Climate change adaptation,Healthy life,Clean environment,

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3

Eliminating economic inequalities that may arise due to the effects of the climate crisis and adaptation policies

Climate change adaptation,Equality,Just,

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4

Implementing fair and regulatory mechanisms to ensure climate 2ice

Climate change adaptation,Just,Clean environment,Monitoring Auditing,

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5

Ensuring 2 transition, especially for vulnerable groups

Climate change adaptation,Employment,Vulnerability,Just,

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