Is Turkey really serious about climate change?
Al Jazeera
Plans to ratify the Paris climate agreement six years later are welcomed, but activists say major policy moves needed.
Istanbul, Turkey – “They don’t care about the environment, they care about money, always money,” says Nurcan Keskin, a retired teacher as she takes a break from collecting signatures for a petition to save what Turkish climate activists say is a rare green space in this bustling metropolis of 16 million.
Home to birds and other wildlife, the 354,000-square metre (423,000-sq yard) Validebag Grove is a legally protected space, and its trees are part of the lungs of the city, absorbing greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
It is also yet another flashpoint in what seems like a constant battle between Turkey’s government and environmental activists.
