THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: ACHIEVEMENTS AND BARRIERS IN THE TURKISH CASE

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Yer Sistem Bilimleri Anabilim Dalı, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2019

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: GÜLİN ÖZDEMİR EROĞLU

Asıl Danışman (Eş Danışmanlı Tezler İçin): Osman Balaban

Eş Danışman: Ayşen Yılmaz

Özet:

Global warming is manifesting visible consequences at regional and local scales. Cities are considered among major contributors of climate change while also being a victim of it. It is vital to anticipate the adverse impacts of climate change in cities and take appropriate actions to prevent or minimize the damage they may be exposed. The Mediterranean Basin, in which Turkey is located, is one of the regions with the highest vulnerability to climate change. Turkey’s First National Communication on Climate Change prepared in 2007 specifies the impacts of climate change in Turkey as; increasing summer temperatures, decreasing winter precipitation in western provinces, loss of surface water, increased frequency of droughts, land degradation, coastal erosion and floods. Climate problem is global but its solution is local. Municipalities are in charge of controlling and managing various processes in urban areas which may affect GHG emissions and climate vulnerability as part of urban planning and management processes. However existing studies and implementations are far from being affective in terms of climate change adaptation. The purpose of this study is to investigate barriers, inadequacies and achievements on climate change adaptation from the conjuncture of different types of local governments, based on a literature review and a case study involving questionnaire with the experts from three kinds of municipalities (metropolitan, provincial and metropolitan district) in Turkey. Therefore, main questions of the thesis are as follows: “What are the reasons for lack of enough actions by municipalities to ensure adaptation to climate change?” and “Are these reasons vary according to the scale or political context of the municipality?”. In this context; lack of capacity and citizen demand, budget constraints, lack of coordination between units/directorates within the municipality, limited cooperation with other municipalities, insufficiency of sanctions or support of central government and inadequate legislation are determined as the main barriers towards an effective adaptation in the Turkish context. Reasons also differ by political parties and scales of municipalities.