Mehmet Ali Uzelgun
ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Ümit Şahin
Sabancı University


Abstract

The case of Turkey provides some insight into the socio-political and communicative processes taking place at the periphery of the global climate governance efforts. Turkey’s 12-year delayed entry into the regime of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (in 2004) and its status as the last signatory of the Kyoto Protocol (in 2009) have hampered climate-relevant efforts in the country in many ways. This includes institutionalization at local and national levels, the development of sound national policies, and communication activities. Climate change communication activities in Turkey can be divided into two major categories: the earlier advocacy activities, and the later mass communication, or mainstreaming, of climate change. The earlier activist or interest group communication efforts began around 2001 and have contributed significantly to carrying climate change to the national agenda. Paralleling the government’s position towards the issue in many ways, national-level media activities have remained nominal until 2007, when escalating local weather extremes were widely associated with climate change. Research in climate change communication in Turkey commenced only lately. Although the studies are limited in both scope and quantity, existing evidence suggests that 2007 was crucial in setting the terms of the debate in the country. Mobilizations at both national and international in 2009 made the year another landmark for climate change communication and policy in Turkey. International organizations and governance agencies have taken active roles in communication and research activities, and in the translation of governance tools developed at the international level to the national level. A review of the abovementioned efforts suggests that a minority-influence framework—in which minor interest and expert groups are supported by global policy norms and scientific knowledge in taking issues to the national agenda—may be useful in understanding the dynamics taking place in industrializing countries such as Turkey.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309375083_Climate_Change_Communication_in_Turkey