Edirne is a border city located on the highway connecting Turkey to Europe. Situated in the Thrace region of the Marmara Region, it lies near the borders of Greece and Bulgaria.
Edirne Municipality, through the Solid Waste Management Union, has been generating electricity from landfill gas since 2019, making them one of the pioneering local governments in Turkey in this regard. They demonstrated their commitment to this initiative back in 2018. From January 2019 to July 2023, they have produced approximately 46,750 megawatt-hours of electricity, a significant achievement for a municipality of their scale. This project is not only crucial for supporting their country's energy resources but also for reducing carbon emissions. This year, they installed their second generator and obtained their license, increasing their capacity to three megawatts. Their goal for 2050 is to achieve carbon neutrality, and they are dedicated to continuing their efforts to reach this target as soon as possible. They aim to pass on a sustainable legacy to future generations.
On October 4, 2021, Edirne Municipality signed the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) to combat climate threats and ensure a better future for its residents. Under this agreement, the municipality pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Edirne by 55% by 2030 and by 80% by 2050. To achieve these reduction targets and enhance climate adaptation, the "Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP)" report was developed, referencing the year 2019 as the baseline. An analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for the chosen baseline year revealed a total of 2,583,582 tCO2e. The transportation sector accounted for the highest share, emitting 1,574,086 tCO2e, driven by active urban mobility due to Edirne's status as a prominent city for border and tourism activities. The energy and waste sectors followed with 900,152 tCO2e and 109,344 tCO2e emissions, respectively. It is projected that total greenhouse gas emissions will reach 2,594,462 tCO2e by 2050. Through the implementation of emission reduction measures, the plan aims to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions to 503,296 tCO2e by 2050, marking an 80.2% reduction. In the context of climate change adaptation, Edirne Municipality conducted research on past climate-related disaster risks and analyzed potential climate-related risks using spatial data. Floods and inundations were identified as the primary risks for the region. In response, resilience-building measures have been identified for Edirne, focusing on mitigating impacts from floods and other climate-related disasters, as well as vulnerable sectors.
In August 2022, the formation of the SECAP technical team from Edirne Municipality employees marked the beginning of our Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan efforts to combat climate change and its effects. Led by the Climate Change and Zero Waste Directorate, with participation from the Water and Sewerage, Cleaning Services, and Infrastructure Directorates, our activities commenced with an online SECAP training. The training focused on preparing for SECAP, literature review, greenhouse gas inventory creation, and goal setting.
Following the training, a roadmap was developed to identify necessary data requirements, subsequently requested from internal and external stakeholders. Data used for greenhouse gas emission inventory followed guidelines from the GPC Protocol. Upon completion, utilizing GPC Protocol and IPCC reports as guides, calculations were conducted to establish Edirne Province's greenhouse gas emission inventory.
Urban and climate data provided by relevant stakeholders were used to identify primary climate disaster risks for Edirne and conduct vulnerability analyses against climate change. Natural structure data and urban statistics obtained from satellite imagery were used to assess how urban areas in Edirne are affected physically, economically, and socially by climate change. To gauge our resilience against climate change impacts, analyses were conducted to measure the adaptation capacity of Edirne. Key climate disaster risks and adaptation capacities were compared to derive insights into Edirne's vulnerability to climate change.
Following the creation of the greenhouse gas emission inventory and climate risk and vulnerability analyses, a workshop was convened with participation from internal and external stakeholders. Held on June 8, 2023, at Edirne Municipality's Atatürk Cultural Center, the workshop presented all calculations and analyses, distributed relevant queries among stakeholders, and conducted a workshop focused on defining SECAP actions. Workshop outcomes provided the groundwork for planned actions.