ISTANBUL
Turkish companies have responded to the threat that is climate change, says a global environmental organization.
The number of Turkish companies that have accepted to disclose their company targets and efforts for fighting climate change to Climate Disclosure Project - a global NGO which works with corporations to reveal their greenhouse emissions data - has reached 41, more than doubling since 2011.
“I do think that there is an increase in Turkish companies’ awareness regarding climate change,” co-chief operating officer of Climate Disclosure Project, Sue Howells, told AA in Istanbul.
Turkish car manufacturer, TOFAS, was even included in the 'A List' group of 187 companies that have displayed the biggest efforts to reduce their impact on climate change, according to the NGO’s Climate Performance Leadership Index.
Another nine Turkish companies received a B grade for their environmental achievements, according to the report.
A large majority of the top listed companies are headquartered in leading economies, such the U.S., Japan or the European Union.
Melsa Ararat, head of Climate Disclosure Project in Turkey, said the performances of Turkish companies were very significant, since, comparatively, only one Chinese company was included in the A-list.
Furthermore, the head of Climate Diclosure Project, Paul Simpson, said that A-List companies had outperformed those in the Bloomberg World Index by 9.6 percent in stock market value, proof that taking action on climate change does not prevent corporations from performing better in business.
Sue Howells gave examples of companies that gained profit due to their climate change policies, describing it as a "win-win scenario,” at the announcement in Istanbul of the figures in the Turkey's Climate Disclosure Project report.
Howells called on companies to invest more in green technologies in order to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions, warning that climate change constituted a risk to the global economy, not just the environment.
On Sunday, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urged to increase the use of renewable energy up to 80% from the current 30% by 2050, and to quit fossil energy by 2100, as part of the mitigation process of climate change effects.
"There is a myth that climate action will cost heavily, but inaction will cost much more," warned UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday as he presented the report in Copenhagen.
In December, delegates from around the world will meet in Lima, Peru, to attempt to agree on a new global treaty to limit emissions.
www.aa.com.tr/en
