The "Climate Change and the Future of Cities" Workshop, organized under the leadership of Konya Carbon Certification and Project Development Inc. and MÜSİAD Konya Branch, commenced with the hosting of KTO Karatay University. The opening ceremony was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including: Former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez Konya Chamber of Commerce Vice President Lütfi Can Başaran Konya Metropolitan Municipality Vice President Mustafa Uzbaş KTO Karatay University Rector Prof. Dr. Fevzi Rifat Ortaç Konya Food and Agriculture University Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç and Rector Prof. Dr. Erol Turan TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) President Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy Selçuk University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Emrullah Eken Workshop Organizing Committee Chairman Prof. Dr. Kubilay Kurtuluş Baştaş Deputy President of the Climate Change Presidency Dr. Tuğba Dinçbaş Konya protocol Representatives of public institutions and organizations from various cities in Turkey Academicians, representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector, university students, and members of the press “Cities’ Transformation Processes to Be Supported” In his opening speech, Workshop Organizing Committee Chairman Prof. Dr. Kubilay Kurtuluş Baştaş said: “This workshop is very important in terms of emphasizing the critical role that cities will play in the fight against climate change. We aim to contribute to the transformation processes of other cities by creating a model at the workshop we will be holding in Konya. I think we will contribute to taking important steps in this regard and creating a common vision.” “Turkey’s Rise in Polar Research is Noticeable.” Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, President of TÜBİTAK MAM, said: “The inclusion of National Polar Research under the auspices of the Presidency in 2017 has both symbolized the value and importance given to this work as a country and enabled the activities of polar research to gain great momentum. The rise of Turkey in the field of polar research is noticeable and appreciated in international meetings we attend as well as articles that focus on Turkey.” She also said that they are working with all their might in order not to disappoint everyone who supports them on this path, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “We are Happy to Host the Workshop.” KTO Karatay University Rector Prof. Dr. Fevzi Rifat Ortaç expressed his satisfaction at hosting the “Climate Change and the Future of Cities” workshop. Ortaç said: “We are happy to host this workshop, which brings together many important names from both the public, civil society, and academic community.” “We Aim to Reduce Carbon Footprint in Konya” Konya Chamber of Commerce Vice President Lütfi Can Başaran said: “We are gathered here to create a roadmap within the scope of the vision of “Konya, a Carbon Neutral City by 2042.” As the Konya Chamber of Commerce, we have established the Energy Efficiency Center, which will work in collaboration with our companies to reduce emissions and energy intensity in the industrial sector, which has the highest energy consumption. Our center will carry out activities to increase energy efficiency in manufacturing industry in Konya, reduce carbon footprint, and increase international sectoral competitiveness by reducing border carbon tax. In addition, it will be a consultancy and guidance center for manufacturing industry for applications and funds related to energy efficiency and carbon footprint.” “The Workshop Will Help Protect the Future of Our Cities” Climate change is one of the most important issues affecting all of humanity. The gradual warming of the world continues to have a negative impact on air quality and the life cycle. The world we live in is our common home. Therefore, it is one of our most fundamental duties to protect our world and leave a more liveable world to the generations after us. I believe that the workshop will help protect the future of our cities and cleanse them from the threats of climate change. "We Rank 5th in Europe and 12th in the World" Fatih Dönmez, former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, stated in his speech that climate change is changing not only our way of life but also many of the things we do routinely in our daily lives. He mentioned that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has a national energy plan in place until 2053 and that afforestation and seedling efforts are ongoing to further invest in renewable energy. Dönmez emphasized that Turkey is in a good position regarding renewable energy sources, ranking the 5th in Europe and the 12th in the world. "We Aim to Increase Renewable Energy to 70% by 2053" Fatih Dönmez, former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, stated in his speech that Turkey aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption to 70% by 2053. He also said that Turkey needs facilities that will not emit carbon and meet the base load demand. He also stated the following: "We need facilities that will not emit carbon and meet our base load demand. By 2053, we aim to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption to 70%. On January 9, 2024, we will send our first astronaut to space. The Turkish people know how to say, 'we can do it now, we can succeed, we have enough energy for ourselves' and believe in it." "Konya Has Become the Shining Star and Brand of Anatolia" Dönmez emphasized that Konya is the shining star of Anatolia. He stated that Konya is seeing applications that are not available in many developed cities. He also stated that Konya has a high potential because it has one of the world's largest solar power plants in Karapınar with 1,300 megawatts. He said that we will see solar power plants more often on our roofs in the future." At the end of the program, Minister Fatih Dönmez and the speakers were presented with drawings on the topic of energy efficiency created by elementary school students, adding a colorful touch to the event. The workshop's opening program concluded with a group photo shoot and the introduction of an electric vehicle developed by the students of KTO Karatay University. In the workshop that will last for three days, experts from various fields, including industrial transformation, energy transformation, transportation transformation, urbanization, building transformation, agricultural transformation, health transformation, sustainable environmental management, education, and climate stakeholders, will come together. They will discuss the current situation analysis, identification of problems, and solution proposals on the designated topics. The focus will be on examining Konya's transition to a carbon-neutral city.
