Şanlıurfa is a border city located in southeastern Türkiye, along the southern corridor surrounded by the Syrian border. It is a historical city with a rich cultural heritage dating back to prehistoric times.
Due to its geographical location, Şanlıurfa has been a region ruled by numerous states and principalities throughout history, serving as a crossroads and melting pot of different cultures. In ancient and medieval times, some of the roads between the old civilization centers of Mesopotamia and the Arab countries and Europe passed through Şanlıurfa. Şanlıurfa has always been an important province in the past and present due to its location on many historical, commercial, and military routes connecting the east to the west.
Şanlıurfa is considered the central hub of GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project), one of the world's and Türkiye’s most important regional development projects, and hosts the administrative center of the GAP Administration.
Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality (ŞBB) gained metropolitan status in 2014 and provides various services such as infrastructure, transportation, and environmental planning. The Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality (ŞBB) has been conducting various efforts in combating climate change. These efforts aim to enhance environmental sustainability and improve the quality of life for the local population. In this context, a Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report covering the years 2016-2018 was prepared in 2019 to identify, monitor, and manage greenhouse gas emissions in Şanlıurfa province.
In 2021, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) was signed. Under this agreement, the municipality aimed to take concrete, long-term measures to address the interconnected challenges of mitigation, adaptation, and access to sustainable energy.
The Local Climate Change Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory study, which began in September 2021, was completed in April 2022. Separate inventory calculations for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 were conducted using the GPC Protocol and the CIRIS calculation tool. The inventory detail level is Basic+, with 2021 chosen as the base year. Three separate surveys were conducted for risk and vulnerability analyses using the analysis method recommended by the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM).
In May 2022, a two-day stakeholder consultation meeting was held for the Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plan, completed in October 2022. During the meeting, greenhouse gas inventory, climate risk, and vulnerability analyses were evaluated, and recommendations for mitigation and adaptation actions were developed. A total of 94 stakeholder representatives from 37 different institutions participated in the meeting. Participants proposed 152 mitigation actions and 75 adaptation actions. The scenarios analyzed for greenhouse gas emissions were aligned with the 1.5°C target for 2053 and Türkiye’s Carbon Neutrality goal. Mitigation actions were planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2035 and by 80% by 2053.
On December 15, 2022, the Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality (ŞBB) established the Department of Climate Change and Zero Waste to effectively manage climate change issues.
Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality has been selected as one of the four cities in Türkiye to receive funding through the Horizon Europe CLIMAAX call, which supports local governments in carrying out strategic climate change planning more effectively. The project's focus is on applying a Climate Risk Assessment Methodology for the Şanlıurfa Region. The project began in January 2023 and will continue until December 2026.
Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality has also been awarded full grant support through the Pathways2Resilience (P2R) program, part of the Horizon Europe Project, aimed at combating climate change and enhancing local resilience. This grant will help Şanlıurfa take an innovative and transformative approach to increase its resilience to climate change risks.