Beyond Special Circumstances: Turkey and Global Climate Change Politics

Beyond Special Circumstances: Turkey and Global Climate Change Politics

 

Young Scholars Workshop

16-17 April 2015

 

Co-organized by

Istanbul Policy Center (IPC), Sabancı University

&

Marmara University Research Center for International Relations (MURCIR)

&

Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

 

Call for Papers

 

 

Being an Annex-I party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and a party to Kyoto Protocol (KP) without any commitment in its first period, Turkeyhas a peculiar position in the global climate change negotiations. Having ratified both the framework convention and the KP with 12 years of delay, Turkey had the highest rate of increases in greenhouse gas emissions among the OECD members with a 133.4% increase in 1990-2012 period. Moreover Turkey's submissions to UNFCCC often underline "common but differentiated responsibilities", "national capacities" and Turkey taking its position in a fair, equitable and inclusive deal with respect to its "special circumstances".

 

Nonetheless as the new climate regime is knocking at the door in Paris at COP21, Turkey's position is yet to be clarified. In contrast with its importance as an emerging economy that strategically positions its energy production as highly dependent on fossil fuels, Turkey stands as a key albeit under-investigated country. This is reflected in the lack of substantive academic research on Turkey's position in the UNFCCC process and its commitment to a global agreement, which stands weaker in comparison to countries with comparable profiles.

 

In an attempt to go beyond 'special circumstances' discourse and to contribute to this knowledge gap, this Young Scholars Climate Policy Workshop aims at providing a space of reflection on Turkey's case within the global climate change regime as well as linking it to the broader issues.

 

We seek a wide range of research foci, but potential topics and themes might include:

-Turkish climate change policy: Opportunities and challenges

-Foreign policy dimensions and UNFCCC

-Institutions and policy instruments in responding to climate change

-Impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation in key sectors

-Gender and climate change response

-Energy and mitigation opportunities for Turkey

-Local governance of climate change

-Private sector and climate change

-Ecological conflicts and climate change

-Social movements and climate change

-Climate change narratives and the media

-Climate finance

 

We particularly encourage graduate students (PhD students and advanced M.A and M.Sc. students) and junior scholars as well as senior scholars, practitioners from NGOs and governmental institutions to present their work. Contributions to this workshop will be considered for publication in an edited volume or a special issue in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal.

 

Submissions in English and Turkish are welcome. Abstracts with max. 300 words are invited until the deadline on 22.02.2015. 

Extended abstracts around 800-1000 (max.) words will be invited for accepted submissions by01.04.2015.

Abstracts (and any inquiries) should be sent to: bsc2015@sabanciuniv.edu

 

Keynote Speakers:

Prof. Hilal Elver (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and Research Professor of Global Studies at University of California at Santa Barbara) confirmed

 

Prof. Franck Lecocq (Director, International Research Center on Environment and Development-CIRED; IPCC AR5 WGIII Lead Author) confirmed

 

Workshop Conveners:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Semra Cerit Mazlum (Marmara University Research Center for International Relations)

Dr. Ethemcan Turhan (Istanbul Policy Center, Sabancı University)

 

Scientific Committee:

Prof. Dr. Nesrin Algan (Ankara University)

Prof. Dr. James Connelly (University of Hull)

Prof. Dr. Aykut Çoban (Ankara University)

Prof. Dr. Gökhan Orhan (Balıkesir University)

Prof. Dr. Murat Türkeş (Middle East Technical University) 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayfer Bartu Candan (Boğaziçi University)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Begüm Özkaynak (Boğaziçi University)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Karapınar (Boğaziçi University)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jean-François Pérouse (IFEA – French Institute of Anatolian Studies) 
Asst. Prof. Dr. Hande Paker (Bahçeşehir University)

Asst. Prof. Dr. Clemens Hoffmann (Bilkent University)

Asst. Prof. Dr. Jale Tosun (Heidelberg University)

Dr. Kerstin Krellenberg (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ)

Dr. Fabio Grazi (AFD, Research Department)

Important Dates:

Deadline for abstracts (300 words): 22.02.2015

Notification of accepted papers: 06.03.2015

Deadline for extended abstracts (800-1000 words): 01.04.2015

Workshop dates:  16-17.04.2015

 

Registration and Financial Support

There is no registration fee for this workshop. Thanks to generous support by French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement - AFD) in Turkey, we are able to provide accommodation to paper presenters. Travel support is available only for presenters fromTurkey.

 

Venue:

Located at the heart of historical peninsula right next to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the workshop will take place at the historical building of Marmara University Rectorate.

 

Marmara University Sultanahmet Campus (Rektörlük)

34413 Sultanahmet

İstanbul / Turkey