Right to Clean Air Platform Turkey (RtCAP) ( tr, Temiz Hava Hakkı Platformu) is an independent non-governmental organisation exclusively focused on the issue of
air pollution in Turkey
Air pollution in Turkey is the most lethal of the nation's environmental issues, with almost everyone across the country exposed to more than World Health Organization guidelines. Over 30,000 people die each year from air pollution-related illn ...
.
Objectives
To protect public health RtCAP aims to clean up Turkey's air until it at least meets the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
's (WHO) recommended safe level.
In 2018 RtCAP published 10 policy recommendations for the government:
[
#Reliably measure air pollution
#Legislate to meet WHO air pollution guidelines
#Include PM 2.5 in the above
#Release more data to the public
#Use up to date ]atmospheric dispersion modeling
Atmospheric dispersion modeling is the mathematical simulation of how air pollutants disperse in the ambient atmosphere. It is performed with computer programs that include algorithms to solve the mathematical equations that govern the pollutant ...
in environmental impact assessments
Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...
#Introduce health impact assessment
#Stop subsidizing fossil fuels
#Improve legislation to prevent and compensate for air pollution
#Promote alternatives to polluting activities
#Cooperate between government departments and also with NGOs and professional associations
Members
The members of the platform are: CAN Europe, General Practitioner Association of Turkey, Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
Mediterranean, Green Peace Law Association, Green Thought Association, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Physicians for Environment Association, TEMA Foundation
The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion ( tr, Türkiye Erozyonla Mücadele, Ağaçlandırma ve Doğal Varlıkları Koruma Vakfı), better known in abbreviated form as TEMA, is a non-governmental organization (NGO) for reforestation and t ...
(The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats), Turkish Medical Association
The Turkish Medical Association ( tr, Türk Tabipleri Birliği, abbreviated as TTB) is the professional association and registered trade union for physician, doctors in Turkey. Its membership of 110,000 as of the year 2020, covers 80% of Turkey's ...
(TTB), Turkish Neurological Society, Turkish Respiratory Society, Turkish Society of Occupational Health Specialists (İMUD), Turkish Society of Public Health Specialists (HASUDER), Yuva Association, WWF Turkey, 350.org
Work
The platform follows on from Byzantine emperor Justinian I who acknowledged the importance of clean air in 535 AD, and the constitution of the Turkish republic which says that "It is the duty of the State and citizens to improve the natural environment, to protect the environmental health and to prevent environmental pollution.
Coal
In 2019 the platform lobbied parliamentarians to restrict pollution from coal fired power stations in Turkey, and carried out awareness raising and advocacy through the national press. Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
later voted to restrict this pollution.
Particulates
The platform is campaigning for Turkey to set a legal limit on the atmospheric fine particulates
Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...
known as PM 2.5.[
]
References
External links
Air Quality Map (Turkish)
2019 World Clean Air Congress in Istanbul
Environmental organizations based in Turkey
Pollution in Turkey
Medical and health organizations based in Turkey
2015 establishments in Turkey
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