Council of Europe adopts Turkish lawmaker's report on climate change

BRUSSELS

A Turkish lawmaker's report on the climate change was unanimously adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday.

Ziya Altunyaldiz, a member of the Turkish delegation to PACE, said the global warming and climate change have triggered extraordinary meteorological events.

The report, Addressing Issues of Criminal and Civil Liability in the Context of Climate Change, is a recommendation for 47 Council of Europe member states to act against those triggering the climate change.

Altunyaldiz said the world is deeply feeling the effects of climate change as glaciers are melting fast and Earth's temperature is rising.

According to the lawmaker, if global environmental policies and practices continued the same way, the cumulative damage caused by the climate change would reach up to $8 trillion by 2050.

He said urgent steps have to be taken to control the effects of climate change "before it is too late."

"In the light of the principle ‘Polluter pays,’ it is crucial to punish who harms nature with effective sanctions and compensate the damages caused by the climate change," he said on Twitter. "We can say 'Stop!' to the climate change in cooperation 'before it is too late'".

Altunyaldiz underlined in his speech that whoever did the most damage to the planet should also provide the greatest support to the fight against the climate crisis.

Commenting on Turkey's battle against the effects of the climate change, he said his country has set an example for the world with its quick and effective approach.

Turkey would take structural steps in line with green transformation in the coming period, he asserted.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas in Ankara