Taking a pioneering step in combating the climate crisis, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality is hosting a COP (Conference of the Parties) organization at the local level for the first time in Türkiye within the framework of the “one health” and “well-being” approaches. The first event of the “COP Izmir” series was held at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM) under the title of “Seeing the Global from the Local on the Way to COP30: Food Security and Access in the Face of the Climate Crisis.” Delivering the opening speech, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and Healthy Cities Association President Dr. Cemil Tugay shared his vision of making Izmir a healthy and resilient city, drawing attention to the critical role of local governments in combating the climate crisis. Mayor Tugay emphasized Izmir’s determination and desire to be a pioneer in this area with the following words: “As local governments, we are trying to determine and implement action plans regarding the climate crisis and its consequences. We are very keen to make Izmir active in this regard. We are proceeding with the intention of our work becoming an example for cities in Türkiye and other countries.”
From Local to Global: Izmir's Purpose of Shaping the Climate Agenda
The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s “COP Izmir” series aims to contribute to the global climate agenda starting from the local level and to create a strong local consensus by carrying the voices of local governments to COP30. This important event, which is being implemented with the “One Health” and “Well-Being” approaches, aims to present a local perspective on global climate policies by opening up the local effects of the climate crisis and solution proposals for discussion. As Mayor Tugay emphasized in his opening speech, every big change starts with small steps and Izmir is determined to take an active role in combating the climate crisis by taking these first steps.
Work Emphasis and Gratitude from Chairman Tugay
In his opening speech, Mayor Tugay touched upon important topics such as the climate crisis and its effects, and stated that a long and difficult struggle can only begin with the first step. “Every long road begins with the first step. Every high staircase definitely has a first step, and one is bigger than zero. We may have problems as big as mountains in front of us, but the way to deal with every problem is to take the first step first. I believe that we only need to work. We cannot be people and institutions that have planned what to do, set goals for themselves, made action plans, and worked hard to realize those plans. I think this is the task ahead of us. I would like to thank Izmir, everyone who believes in itself, its country, and humanity,” said Mayor Tugay, emphasizing the importance of determination and cooperation in combating the climate crisis. Senior executives of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality also attended the panel, demonstrating the municipality’s holistic approach and support on this issue.
A Strong Contribution from Izmir to COP30
President Tugay stated that COP Izmir represented a new understanding and expressed his strong desire to make Izmir active in this regard as the President of the Healthy Cities Association. “As the President of the Healthy Cities Association, I am also very keen to make Izmir active in this regard. We are working with the intention that our work will be a model for cities in Türkiye and other countries. COP30 will be in Brazil in November. We will be there representing the Healthy Cities Association. The data, results and reports we will obtain will be the issues we will voice there,” President Tugay said, heralding that the knowledge and experience to be gained in Izmir will be shared on international platforms and will be a source of inspiration for other cities.
The Ugly Truth of the Climate Crisis: Heading for Worse Times
President Tugay reminded that when world and national problems are discussed, the climate crisis is always on the agenda, and said, “Behind a significant portion of the problems we experience lies climate change and its consequences, but we all know that we are heading towards worse times. We see water, food, energy, and the ecosystem balance of the environment we live in as vital. We see that living without doing anything or waiting for others to do something will lead us all to disaster,” drawing attention to the deepening effects of the climate crisis and the need for urgent action.
Local Governments Must Take Initiative
Despite the fact that climate conferences are organized every year for the global climate threat, President Tugay touched upon the difficulties experienced in implementing the decisions taken, and stated that one of the main reasons for this is the inability of major countries to give up on their national interests and the centralized approach of public administrations that will ensure implementation. President Tugay, who stated that a similar problem is experienced in Türkiye, emphasized that local governments should take an active role and make an effort. President Tugay, who stated that İzmir is a city where sensitive people live by nature, said, “We, as local governments, are trying to determine and implement action plans regarding the climate crisis and its consequences, by giving İzmir its due. The climate crisis is not only the temperature increase due to carbon emissions. This has social, economic and political consequences that affect everyone. These are experienced more and more each year.”
The Scream of the Land: Drought and Unhealthy Food Production
Emphasizing that the drought problem is a growing threat, President Tugay stated that there is a serious crisis in how cities will cope with the water problem. “In cities where agriculture is important, including Izmir, the water problem is approaching an unmanageable state. We see that there is no adequate planning regarding agriculture. Therefore, one of the topics we want to talk about most in this meeting today is food. We are aware that we need to talk not only about food insufficiency but also about health. The lands where we farm are dying. Since those who do agriculture are not supported, unhealthy food production is also rapidly increasing. We have put aside whether the nutritional content of food is sufficient, we are talking about whether it causes serious diseases in people. We have not experienced its reflection on daily life yet. Since sufficient data has not been presented, we do not know where the problem originates,” President Tugay said, drawing attention to the devastating effects of drought on agriculture and food security and concerns about healthy food production.
The Increasingly Devastating Impact of the Climate Crisis on Public Health
President Tugay emphasized that the direct and indirect effects of the climate crisis on public health are gradually intensifying and increasing. “The climate has intense and increasing effects on people’s health, directly or indirectly. 40 years ago, we were living in cleaner environments and better conditions in terms of climate. Although inspections were inadequate, there was safer food production. Developmental problems increased rapidly. There is a tendency not to question the reasons for this, but these have started to turn into problems that touch life. Extending life expectancy is possible with the treatment of diseases, but many people live with serious health problems in terms of quality of life. We think that an unhealthy universe and unhealthy food have a significant impact on this,” said President Tugay, drawing attention to the negative effects of climate change and an unhealthy environment on human health and emphasizing that more research and precautions should be taken in this regard.
ICLEI Praises Izmir and Emphasizes the Role of Local Governments
Yunus Arıkan, the manager of the Global Advocacy Team of the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) Network, who attended the meeting online, stated that although climate conferences are organized every year, they are not the responsibility of a single institution or country due to the complex nature of the climate crisis. “Climate conferences are organized every year, but the climate crisis is now multi-layered and is not the responsibility of just one ministry or country, but an effort that must be carried out with the contribution and effective participation of all stakeholders. These decisions need to be implemented locally. Political and daily conflicts in countries have postponed climate crisis discussions. Cities have contributions and the responsibility to implement these contributions,” Arıkan said, emphasizing that local governments play a key role in combating the climate crisis. Arıkan stated that they wanted to start a process in İzmir where local actors come to the fore, and said, “We want national action plans and local movements to overlap and contribute to each other. The climate process is not only about greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to disasters, but also the beginning of a transformation that triggers many areas. İzmir has taken very advanced steps in this regard. I think this meeting will contribute to the work to be carried out.” Arıkan expressed that he appreciated the advanced steps taken by İzmir in combating the climate crisis and that this meeting would be a source of inspiration for other local governments.
Call from Izmir to Other Cities to Lead
The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality aims to come together with all local stakeholders to establish an umbrella structure to combat the increasing effects of the climate crisis, raise awareness on this issue and create a common action plan. The priority goals of the municipality include the Turkish Healthy Cities Association leading this process with over 150 member municipalities starting from Izmir and encouraging COP organizations at the local level in other cities. Within the scope of COP Izmir, various events will be organized including panels and multi-stakeholder roundtable studies with the participation of experts and academics on relevant themes. These events aim to develop solution proposals by addressing different dimensions of the climate crisis and to create applicable policies at the local level.
“COP Izmir” Summit Will Continue with Three Sessions
Following the opening speeches, the “COP İzmir” summit continued with three important sessions. The first session was held under the title of “İzmir’s Food Perspective” and was moderated by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Prof. Dr. Pınar Okyay. In this session, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Environment Commission Chair Saadet Çağlın, Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Commission Chair Selçuk Karakülçe, İztarım General Manager Öztürk Kurt and İzmir Commodity Exchange General Secretary Erçin Güdücü took part as panelists and discussed İzmir’s food production and consumption habits, local food systems and sustainable agricultural practices. The title of the second session was “Food Security and Access in the Face of the Climate Crisis”. In this panel moderated by Dr. Bülent Şık, Prof. Dr. Funda Barbaros, Prof. Dr. Derya Eşen and Dr. Fatih Özden participated as speakers and discussed the effects of climate change on food production and distribution, food security risks and possible measures against these risks. In the third and final part of the summit, multi-stakeholder roundtable studies were held under critical headings such as “Plant Production, Animal Production and Aquaculture, Biodiversity, Green Belts and Urban Agriculture, Food Logistics, Food Security, Safety and Hidden Hunger, From Soil to Fork: Agroecology, Drought, Water Consumption and Water Pollution.” Thanks to these interactive studies, representatives and experts from different sectors came together to develop solutions to problems and evaluate cooperation opportunities.
COP Izmir Series Will Continue
The “COP İzmir” series will continue with various events addressing different themes. On May 23, the transformation potential in the energy sector and sustainable energy solutions will be discussed under the title “İzmir’s Green Transformation Opportunities in Energy” at the İZFAŞ Fairground. On May 30, the “Cities and Communities Resilient to the Climate Crisis” at the AASSM will address how cities can be made more resilient to the effects of climate change and the role of communities in this process. On June 10, the importance of urban green areas and development strategies will be discussed under the title “İzmir’s Future: Green Belts” again at the AASSM. The “COP İzmir Launch”, an important event of the series, will be held on June 27 at the Historical Gas Factory Cultural Center, where the general goals and future work of the series will be shared with the public.
About the Conference of the Parties (COP)
Since the entry into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the first intergovernmental environmental agreement against global warming, in 1994, the Conference of the Parties has been held in a different country every year, and is known as the “COP” for short. Following COP2024 held in Azerbaijan in November 29, this global summit, which will be held in Brazil in November this year under the name COP30, is of great importance in terms of international cooperation and policy development in the fight against climate change. The “COP İzmir” series, hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, aims to make a significant contribution to this global effort at the local level.
