According to the results of the research conducted to measure the perception of what the society thinks about the deepening climate crisis, the concern, and awareness of the climate crisis in Turkey has increased compared to the previous year. Despite this rate, which is well above the world average, the lack of information and political polarization cause disunity in the society on how to fight the climate crisis.
According to the results of the study,
- Three out of four people in Turkey think that the climate crisis is a result of human activities.
- 66% of the society states that they are worried about climate change.
- 77% of the society say that the climate crisis plays a role in extreme weather events.
- 2 out of 3 people in the social state that the climate crisis is a bigger problem than the coronavirus.
- Only 25% of the citizens have knowledge of the Paris Agreement and 17% of Turkey's net-zero emission target for 2053.
- 66% of the society in Turkey is worried about the climate crisis
66% of the society in Turkey is worried about the climate crisis
The research revealed that climate change is an issue of concern to almost three-quarters of the society in Turkey. While 42% of the respondents answered "I am worried", the rate of those who said "I am very worried" was 24%. The results also showed that 58% of respondents thought the climate crisis was a bigger crisis than the pandemic and would cause even greater devastation.
Political polarization also reflected in the climate crisis
Making the evaluation of the report, Bekir Ağırdır, General Manager of KONDA Research, stated that they have seen the effect of the research and the polarization based on the support and opposition to the government on the consequences of climate change. According to the research, one section points to terrorist activities (36%) and the other section points to the government's desire to develop the burned areas (27%) as the cause of the long-lasting forest fires in the summer of 2021.
According to the research, the tangible effect of political polarization is also visible in the Paris Agreement. . Ak Parti and MHP voters, who have the lowest knowledge and awareness about the climate crisis, are the ones who support the parliament's decision the most.
“Since the country has not been able to build a common horizon that wants both development and modernization at the same time, this separation has gradually turned into a fault line between identities, which also settles in cultural identities and affects each other mutually. As a matter of fact, clues of this differentiation are seen in this study as well.”
Although Awareness Raised on Climate Crisis, Paris Agreement Could Not Be Understood
Do you think that climate change has a role in irregular weather events such as floods, storms, extreme temperatures and droughts that have appeared in Turkey in recent years? 77% of the participants answered “yes” to the question. This rate was 71% in the 2019 study.
Although the interviewees within the scope of the research expressed their opinions on climate change and its possible solutions at high rates, the rate of those who are informed about President Erdogan's statements on the target of achieving net zero emissions in 2053 is only 17%. Still, 36% of citizens say they support the net zero emissions target. The majority of the society has no idea about this agreement: Only 25% say they know about the agreement, while 24% state that they know it was approved by the parliament. Still, 52% of the society supports this decision of the parliament.
Those who know about the agreement both know that it was approved by the parliament at a much higher rate, and they support the decision more. Those who consciously support the agreement; Those who both know about the agreement, know that it was approved by the parliament, and support the decision of the parliament make up 14% of the society. However, on the contrary, those who do not have an idea about the agreement and do not approve the decision despite not knowing the parliamentary decision, constitute 30%.
You can reach the research from here.