Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
2nd International Conference on Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability (ICCCES'25) , Khairpur, Pakistan, 27 Kasım 2025 - 28 Nisan 2026, ss.16, (Özet Bildiri)
CLIMATE CHANGE PLATFORM and SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT
Prof.Dr. ZEYNEP CEYLAN
Atatürk University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering
Director of the Environmental Problems Application and Research Center
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Coordinator
The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, also known as the Stockholm Conference is an important turning point in terms of demonstrating the need to address global environmental problems and their solutions at the international level.The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), established in the same year, established a significant institutional foundation for initiating numerous collaborations aimed at solving environmental problems. With the establishment of UNEP, the way was opened for many important and concrete collaborations in the international arena, such as the CITES Convention for the protection of endangered species, MARPOL against marine pollution, the Mediterranean Action Plan for long-range air pollution, the Vienna Convention for the protection of the ozone layer, and the Montreal Protocol.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aimed to "prevent greenhouse gas accumulations in the atmosphere in order to stop the effects that cause danger to the climate system caused by humans" at the Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992, are three important Rio Conventions opened for signature.
The UNFCCC, which entered into force in 1994, aimed to find an international solution to climate change caused by the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from human activities (in the energy, industry, transportation, agriculture, waste, forestry and land use sectors). Following the 1992 UNFCCC, the 1st Conference of the Parties (COP-1) in Berlin in 1995 and the adoption of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (reduction targets) and its entry into force in 2005, a period of bilateral international climate change negotiations was initiated under the title of "Convention" and "Protocol". The Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 (COP-21). The agreement was quickly signed by the parties and entered into force in 2016. The Paris Agreement imposed reduction obligations on all countries, both developed and developing.
A decision was made to establish a Loss and Damage Fund in Egypt for 2022 (COP-27).At the 2025 event (COP 30) held on the Amazon coast of Brazil, will address the
establishment of a fund to prevent fires, drought, and the destruction of forests (greenhouse gas sinks). Additionally, energy transition, oceans, and biodiversity will be among the main topics of the meeting.
In addition to making agriculture and cities more sustainable and resilient, numerous social issues are also being discussed, aiming for a just transition and addressing the concerns of indigenous communities.With the global population projected to reach 10 billion within the next 25 years, with two-thirds of this population living in cities, more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste is currently generated annually worldwide, and it is estimated that this figure will reach approximately 4 billion tons by 2050.
In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the waste sector, despite being a small source of emissions, is crucially important in its position as a significant energy savings driver.
This is because preventing and recycling waste can reduce emissions in all other sectors of the economy.A holistic approach to waste management will have positive effects on greenhouse gas emissions from the energy, forestry, agriculture, mining, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.For example, a proactive approach to sustainable waste management in the operations of the 100 largest companies responsible for 71% of global emissions will have a significant impact on the amount of emissions produced.
In this context, we can list the main reasons why waste management leads to emissions and thus negatively impacts the climate as follows:
CH4 (methane gas) emissions from landfills,Fossil-source carbon dioxide emissions from incineration,
Fossil-source carbon dioxide emissions from waste collection, transportation (logistics), and processing
Nitrogen oxide emissions during waste incineration
Other emissions in the form of emissions of halogenated compounds with high global warming potential used in EEE (as coolants and insulation foam in refrigerators and freezers)
Based on all these facts, we can clearly state that this increasingly unmanageable waste burden has become a global crisis that threatens human health, increases greenhouse gas emissions, and imposes serious burdens on economies.
Unfortunately, more than 2 billion people today lack access to even basic waste collection services.We urgently need a radical change that will make sustainable and environmentally friendly cities possible.That is why we must immediately implement life models informed by civilizational heritage and based on zero-waste principles.Only in this way can we build sustainable cities where waste is reduced, managed with the principle of efficiency, and recycling practices are widespread.
The "Zero Waste Movement" was launched in Turkey on September 27, 2017. In this context, on December 14, 2022, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the "Zero Waste" resolution, with Türkiye as a key stakeholder and 105 other countries participating as co-participants. March 30 was declared "International Zero Waste Day." Istanbul hosted the International Zero Waste Forum, held from October 17–19, 2025, under the theme "Zero Waste Movement: People, Space, Transformation."For three days, experts, academics, policymakers, and civil society representatives from around the world, recognizing that "every waste has value and every individual has a responsibility," came together to shape a shared vision for a sustainable future.The "Zero Waste Istanbul Declaration," adopted at the end of the forum, went down in history as a new roadmap to guide global environmental policies.
The Declaration was prepared in full compliance with the principles and values embodied in the United Nations General Assembly resolution "Promoting Zero Waste Initiatives to Advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." Citing all fundamental international documents, from the Paris Agreement to the Basel Convention, from the Convention on Biological Diversity to the New Urban Agenda adopted under Habitat III, the participants emphasized that the zero waste principle is not merely an environmental policy but a lifestyle transformation.