National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report Results Announced

The results of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report have once again demonstrated the importance of our forests in combating global warming. Turkey's forests surpassed developed countries in carbon sequestration capacity and greenhouse gas reduction amounts.

Speaking on the occasion of 21 March World Forestry Day and Forest Week, Chair of the Sustainable Production and Consumption Association (SÜT-D) Forests and Land Use Board and Professor at Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry Prof. Dr. Yusuf Serengil said, "If we improve our degraded forests, we can upgrade our forests' report card from 'good' to 'very good'."

According to the Released Report, Our Forests' Grade: Good

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries including Turkey release their annual greenhouse gas emissions rates. Turkey unveiled its 2015 report recently. According to the results of Turkey's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report, Turkish forests ranked fourth among developed countries with annual greenhouse gas reduction of 51.1 million tons, after the United States, Russia and Japan. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Serengil, Chair of the Sustainable Production and Consumption Association (SÜT-D) Forests and Land Use Board and Professor at Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry, made striking assessments regarding Turkey's report at the UNFCCC National Reporting meeting currently underway in Bonn, Germany, on the occasion of 21 March World Forestry Day and Forest Week.

We can upgrade our forests' report card from "good" to "very good"

Prof. Dr. Yusuf Serengil announced that according to the report, as of 2013, the carbon sequestration capacity of Turkey's forest areas, which had reached 21.9 million hectares, surpassed all European countries. Noting that it is possible to further increase the climate change mitigation capacity of Turkey's forests, Prof. Dr. Serengil said: "We can say that Turkey's forest report card currently has a grade of 'good'; but we have the means to make it 'very good'. Currently, nearly half of our forests are degraded with low density and coverage. By improving degraded forests, preventing fragmentation of forest areas through roads and similar structures, and increasing support to the forestry sector, we can fight climate change more effectively."

Our forests can offset the carbon dioxide emissions of factories

Noting that both the world and Turkey need a greener environment, Serengil said, "A forest ecosystem can sequester carbon up to 350 tons of CO₂ equivalent per hectare. Therefore, a 10-hectare forest can offset the annual greenhouse gas emissions of many factories or industrial facilities. This is viewed as a good opportunity for private sector organizations wishing to support the fight against climate change. This effort will also bring numerous positive contributions such as protecting biodiversity by growing forests, improving water production, supporting wildlife and creating employment," he said.

Turkey's forest report card will be evaluated at the 3rd Istanbul Carbon Summit

Prof. Dr. Serengil noted that policies aimed at greenhouse gas reduction will be evaluated at the 3rd Istanbul Carbon Summit to be organized by SÜT-D under the auspices of Istanbul Technical University, with support from Istanbul Technical University Arı Technokent and ITÜ NOVA TTO on 14-15 April 2016, adding that the role of forests in greenhouse gas reduction will also be discussed in a special session. Serengil also underlined that the Summit, which will be attended by important experts from around the world as well as from Turkey, represents a great opportunity for those interested in this matter.