'Green transition no choice but necessity for Turkey'

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - For Turkey, in one of the regions most affected by climate change, green transformation is not a choice but a necessity, said the head of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD) on Tuesday.

"We cannot allow the gap between the requirements of this global green economy transformation and the structural characteristics of our country's economy to grow," Simone Kaslowski told a TUSIAD meeting in Istanbul.

The color of the future has become clear with the pandemic, he said, adding that the costs of climate change and environmental damage are now clear.

The Green Deal launched by the EU is the roadmap of the future, he stressed, saying that more and more believe that if we fail to create a green economy on a global scale, the world may not survive this century.

"If we do not fulfill the requirements of this transformation, we will find it difficult to preserve a privileged position in supply chains. We must bring permanent solutions for environmental, social, and economic sustainability."

Kaslowski said he hopes 2021 will be the year Turkey ratifies the Paris Climate Agreement.

Saying that a very different dynamics in the global economy is taking shape, he said a new world order is obviously being built.

"2021 will be the year when the cornerstones of the next 10 years will be laid. Turkey could assess both opportunities and risks arising from these historical times," he said.

Also commenting on the government's economic reform package, he said TUSIAD welcomed it.

"The state tried to give the markets a positive message with its new economic package. Sharing the steps planned to be taken concretely and clarifying the numerical targets will make the program more effective and boost its credibility."

- EU Green Deal

The EU considers climate change and environmental degradation a great threat to Europe and the world.

To overcome these challenges, it plans to form a new growth strategy that would transform the union's economy into a sustainable one.

The bloc aims to be climate neutral by 2050.