In order to contribute to national and international efforts in combating climate change, to identify the sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, and to develop mitigation measures, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality prepared the Bursa Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Climate Change Action Plan in 2015, based on data from 2014. To bring its climate change-related efforts to an international level and to share knowledge and experience with other municipalities working in this field, Bursa joined the Covenant of Mayors in July 2016 by a decision of the municipal council. The Covenant aims to create cities free from greenhouse gas emissions, combat global warming, and promote the use of renewable and clean energy sources.
The 2015 Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Climate Change Action Plan was revised in line with the criteria of the Covenant of Mayors and transformed into the Bursa Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (BUSECAP). BUSECAP fulfills two important functions: First, it records Bursa’s energy and greenhouse gas intensities comprehensively and sets forth a detailed mitigation strategy (Sustainable Energy Action Plan) for reducing urban greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Second, it lays the foundations of a Climate Adaptation Strategy (Climate Adaptation Action Plan) to make the city more resilient to the already observable adverse effects of climate change. Through collaborative work with urban stakeholders, a significant step was taken toward realizing the vision of “A Livable, Productive, and Resilient Bursa” through participatory practices.
With mitigation measures proposed across all sectors, BUSECAP demonstrates that Bursa can achieve its development by 2030 with 22% less greenhouse gas emissions and reduce per capita emissions by approximately 40% compared to 2014. The mitigation scenario graph developed under BUSECAP shows that per capita emissions could be reduced to 1.56 tons of CO₂/day, representing a 40% decrease compared to 2014.
On the other hand, the Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan within the scope of BUSECAP conducts a vulnerability analysis for the city in light of climate change scenarios developed for Türkiye and Bursa, based on existing historical data and studies. It also offers recommendations for new planning practices by approaching the city not only as an ecosystem where cultural and natural structures and systems interact, but also as an area where anthropogenic (human-induced) activities are concentrated.
Currently, the approach within the hierarchy of plans such as zoning plans, master development plans, and regional development plans addresses urban settlements from a physical planning perspective, largely ignoring ecological scales and concepts. However, developing an understanding at different ecological scales will enable the creation of tools and mechanisms—one of the most fundamental deficiencies in today’s climate change adaptation process. The core assumption of the Bursa Climate Adaptation Action Plan is that cities must be addressed from an ecosystem-based perspective to sustain ecosystem functions in a balanced and healthy manner.
The thematic proposals developed through BUSECAP’s participatory processes identify bioregions (basin, sub-basin, micro-basin), ecological zones (eco-zones/belts, eco-city/village), urban green networks/infrastructure, and nature-based solutions as key concepts for implementing this multi-scalar approach. In this context, especially in the proposals developed for the city center, the use of tools such as “urban climate maps/atlases”—including “urban pollution maps” (air, water, soil, noise, light, radiation, thermal, radio spectrum pollution, etc.), greenhouse gas databases, and carbon/water footprint measurement maps—are of critical importance for the sustainability of the city's natural systems. Within this framework, a multi-scalar Green-Blue Network Solution has been proposed for Bursa’s city center.
In the climate change adaptation process, in order to access the necessary financing to meet its committed mitigation targets, Bursa is conducting efforts that include the use of municipal resources for environmental and energy investments, projects carried out under public-private partnership models (build-operate-transfer), and the utilization of national and international financial resources.
