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Supported by UNDP Turkey and aiming to forge a common language in fighting the climate crisis, the last meetup in 2019 of the Conversations in Climate-ish took up “Urban Life” on 5 November 2019 in Istanbul.
Started by UNDP Turkey in search of a common language in fighting the climate crisis to encompass various segments of the society, the Conversations in Climate-ish held its last meetup in 2019 on Urban Life.
Running a series of meetups on Water on 24 September, on Agriculture and Food on 8 October, and on Disasters on 15 October, the fourth meetup of the Conversations in Climate-ish was themed Urban Life to look at our cities in the climate-ish way, and seek common solutions to our problems in urban life. Held several days after the World Cities Day of 31 October, the meeting was hosted and moderated by UNDP Turkey Goodwill Ambassador Mert Fırat.
Minor Changes May Lead to Major Impact
Bahtiyar Kurt, Natural Resources and Biodiversity Cluster Lead in UNDP Turkey, drew attention to the dangers caused by reduced biodiversity and said: “On climate crisis, we need to look at cities not only through human perspective, but also from the whole ecosystem perspective. The climate change impacts the nature whereas the degraded nature in turn accelerates the climate change. Indeed, we may bring about major impact by minor changes.”
Climate Crisis Is A Matter of Inequality!
Dr. Nuran Talu, a political scientist and the President of Global Balance Association, underlined the importance of reducing inequalities as the climate change would affect everyone and said: “It is all clear that everyone is onboard and non-governmental stakeholders have things to say on climate action plans. The climate crisis is now an economic and social crisis. It is a matter of inequality. Women and low-incomers are hit hardest. We cannot fight the climate crisis without fighting inequalities”.
We Shall Win [The War] In the City If Ever We Are To!
The third feature speaker of the meetup, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Osman Balaban, a Faculty Member of Urban Planning Department at METU, said: “This won’t happen by a single voice, it will by multiple voice; it will be resolved at local level, not at global. If we are ever to win the war against the climate crisis, we shall win in the city, with the entire city lining up with us. And this will happen by planning”, emphasising the importance of local governments and climate action plans of cities.
Climateers Think in The Climate-Ish Way!
At the fourth meetup of the series of the Conversations in Climate-ish, UNDP Turkey Goodwill Ambassador Mert Fırat, the host and moderator, said: “The world has never reacted to anything in the way it has to the climate crisis. We have seen that action is possible!”, and called all climateers to think and act in the Climate-ish way.
CLIMATE-ISH GLOSSARY
CONVERSATIONS IN CLIMATE-ISH: A series of meetings where experience on problems and solutions concerning climate action, and which aim to develop a common language and holistic approach with parties working on the issue and specialising in various fields.
CLIMATEER: Everyone who is affected by the climate crisis, ponders on the issue, takes action or wishes to take action.
CLIMATE-ISH: A common language simplifying the existing technical language on the climate crisis..
For more information:
UNDP Turkey / Bikem Ahıska / bikem.ahiska@undp.org
