Türkiye Environmental Status Report Published (Ministry of Environment and Urbanization)

The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization published the "Turkey Environmental Status Report," which is prepared every four years to present the current state of the environment in Turkey and to serve as an early warning for environmental problems.

The "Turkey Environmental Status Report" covering 2011-2015 was prepared by the General Directorate of Environmental Impact Assessment, Permits and Inspection, with contributions from units under the ministry as well as other public institutions and organizations that provide data and information. The prepared report contains sections on introduction, air, climate change, water and wastewater management, management of hazardous chemicals, nature conservation and biological diversity, land use, institutional structure and activities conducted, environmental expenditure and environmental liability insurance, and DPSIR assessment. Additionally, while generally covering 2011-2015 data, the report may also include data through 2014 due to the data publication period, as well as the first six months of 2016. A significant portion of the data presented in the report was obtained from information and data resulting from the activities of various main service units of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. The data in particular were obtained from inspection and monitoring activities conducted during the aforementioned period; Environmental Impact Assessment conducted electronically; Permit and License Certificate transactions; and Waste Management Applications. In addition, the Report was prepared by utilizing data and indicators with a dynamic structure determined for provincial environmental status reports prepared on an annual basis.

The Turkey Environmental Status Report, prepared with important information and data provided by relevant institutions and organizations outside the units of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, and whose printing and distribution were conducted, was prepared for the first time in English within the scope of work with International Institutions and Organizations.

In the Introduction section of the report, general information on Turkey's population, geography, climate, natural resources, energy, transportation, tourism, agriculture and livestock was provided, along with information and data on recent developments in these areas. In the AIR section of the report, information was provided on work conducted regarding the protection of air quality, measurement results of air quality monitoring stations, and work conducted throughout the country on exhaust gas emissions and noise. Particulate matter and sulfur dioxide, which are the main air pollutants from heating sources, are measured at 195 points in 81 provinces. From 2009, when air quality measurements began, until 2016, a 13 percent reduction in PM₁₀ pollution load was achieved throughout Turkey, and a 14 percent improvement in SO₂ levels was attained. In the CLIMATE CHANGE section of the report, information was provided on climate change in Turkey and work conducted, the amount of greenhouse gases at the national level within the framework of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report prepared in accordance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, sink areas in Turkey, work conducted on emissions trading in Turkey, work conducted on climate change adaptation in Turkey, and work conducted on ozone-depleting substances in Turkey.

In Turkey's 2nd National Communication on Climate Change, it was demonstrated that Turkey has the lowest values among OECD and UNFCCC Annex I countries in terms of per capita greenhouse gas emissions, historical responsibility, and per capita primary energy consumption.

In the WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT section of the report, information was provided on Turkey's water resources and potential, water resource quality, sectoral water use and water allocations made, environmental infrastructure, water management plans, the Gediz Basin Pollution Prevention Action Plan, and soil pollution and its control. Additionally, the report presents data on integrated pollution monitoring work and results conducted in our seas, seawater temperatures, and our blue flag beaches. According to State Water Works' water potential calculations, Turkey has an annual water potential of 1,652 m³ per capita. Turkey is not a water-rich country. Based on the annual water amount per capita, our country is in a position of experiencing water scarcity. For this reason, the ratio of the population served by sewerage to the municipal population in Turkey increased from 69 percent in 1994 to 90 percent in 2014. In 2014, the ratio of the municipal population served by wastewater treatment facilities to total municipal population reached 68 percent. As of the end of 2015, 653 wastewater treatment facilities serve 551 municipalities.

In the WASTE section of the report, information was provided on municipal waste, excavation soil, construction and demolition waste, packaging waste, hazardous waste, waste mineral oils, waste batteries and accumulators, vegetable waste oils, polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls, end-of-life tires, waste electrical and electronic equipment, end-of-life vehicles, non-hazardous waste, medical waste, mining waste, and waste from ships.

According to TÜİK data, the amount of municipal waste collected in Turkey was 28,010,721 tons/year for 2014. According to 2014 data, the number of facilities that filed a declaration in the Hazardous Waste Declaration System was 39,134, and 1,413,798 tons of hazardous waste was reported to have been collected. The number of municipalities for which the Packaging Waste Management Plan was approved has reached 629, and the population for which the implementation was initiated has reached 52 million. The number of packaging producers and market introducers registered with the Ministry was 350 in 2003, but this number reached approximately 27,000 in 2015. The number of licensed waste acceptance facilities providing ship waste reception services in port in Turkey was 18 in 2005, and as of the end of 2014, this number reached 247. In the MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS section of the report, information on work conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization regarding the control of major industrial accidents that, when they occur, lead to severe environmental, social and economic disadvantages was included. In this context, as of July 2015, 865 Seveso establishments exist in our country, of which 382 are upper tier and 483 are lower tier, that have filed notifications to the Seveso (MAHB) Notification System.

In the NATURE CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY section of the report:

Information was provided on Turkey's biological diversity, work conducted on protection of biological diversity, protected areas, biosecurity work, invasive alien species in Turkey, and areas sensitive to erosion and desertification in Turkey. As of 2015, Turkey has 16 registered Special Environmental Protection Areas, 14 wetlands under the Ramsar Convention, 40 National Parks, 204 Nature Parks, and 31 Nature Conservation Areas. The total area of Protected Areas in Turkey is 6,287,183 hectares. In the LAND USE section of the report, data on Turkey's land use according to 2012 CORINE data were provided. According to 2012 CORINE data, forests and semi-natural areas constitute 52.46 percent of Turkey, agricultural areas 43.48 percent, artificial areas 1.78 percent, water bodies 1.74 percent, and wetlands 0.53 percent. In the INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED section of the report, information was provided on institutional structure, environmental legislation, international environmental conventions, agreements and protocols to which Turkey is a party, Environmental Impact Assessment activities, environmental permit and license activities, environmental inspections, environmental competence work, EU environmental investments, and innovation in environmental implementation. In the ENVIRONMENTAL EXPENDITURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY INSURANCE section of the report, environmental expenditure and revenues by sector during 2012-2014, environmental employment, revenue and expenditure statistics; data on coastal facility marine pollution environmental liability insurance, environmental pollution environmental liability insurance, dangerous substances and hazardous waste mandatory environmental liability insurance between 2010-2016 are presented. In the DPSIR ASSESSMENT section of the report, environmental issues were evaluated within the framework of the DPSIR model, using 2014 Environmental Indicators. DPSIR was generated from the initials of the English words Driving Forces, Pressure, State, Impact, Response.