The COBENEFITS project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). It works with national authorities and knowledge partners in Germany, India, South Africa, Vietnam, and Türkiye to help these countries unlock the co-benefits of climate action and renewable energy.
The project was coordinated by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS, project lead) in partnership with the Renewables Academy (RENAC), the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), International Energy Transition GmbH (IET), and, in Türkiye, Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center.
For further information about the project, please contact Dursun Baş.
Webinar: “Increasing Industry Competitiveness through Renewable Energy in Turkey and Protection from Fossil Fuel Price Fluctuations— Updated Results”
The webinar “Increasing the Competitiveness of Industry with Renewable Energy in Turkey and Protection from Fossil Fuel Price Fluctuations— Updated Results” prepared within the scope of the international COBENEFITS Project, was held on September 28, 2022 with the participation of Prof. Dr. Ebru Voyvoda, Professor at METU Department of Economics, and EPRA R&D Director Dr. Saeed Teimourzadeh and moderated by Dr. Ümit Şahin, IPC Climate Studies Coordinator.
COBENEFITS Project Closing Event
The closing event of the “Mobilizing the Social and Economic Co-benefits of Climate Action and Renewable Energy” project was held in Ankara on June 23, 2022 with the participation of more than 50 representatives from public, private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations.
Air Pollution and Health Burden: Issues and Solutions
Istanbul Policy Center co-organized the “Air Pollution and Health Burden: Issues and Solutions” webinar on June 10, 2021. The event included representatives from prominent organizations, including the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), and Clean Air Right Platform. Moderated by Ümit Şahin, the event featured esteemed speakers, including Ahmet Dursun Kahraman, the Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers; Funda Gacal, Senior Advisor for HEAL; Buket Atlı, Coordinator of the Clean Air Right Platform; and Dursun Baş, COBENEFITS Project Coordinator.
Training Sessions
IPC, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), and the Renewables Academy (RENAC) organized a training program as part of the COBENEFITS project from January 28 to 29, 2020, in Ankara. The program focused on how renewable energy can bring employment benefits, industrial development, reduced healthcare costs, and increased energy security to Turkey. IPC, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), and the Renewables Academy (RENAC) organized Istanbul Politikalar Merkezi an online introductory training program within the COBENEFITS project on November 5, 2020. The program explained the co-benefits concept for new trainees and shared insights from the co-benefits assessments completed in the first phase of the project. Together with RENAC, IPC held “Co- Benefits of Renewable Energy for Turkey – Employment Opportunities and Impacts in the Power Sector,” a virtual training seminar from May 31 to June 2, 2021. Together with RENAC, IPC held a three- day COBENEFITS virtual training seminar from October 11–13, 2021, in Turkey. IPC published four reports and briefings as part of the COBENEFITS project.
COBENEFITS Training
The training sessions organised by the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC), the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), and the Renewables Academy (RENAC) as part of the CoBenefits project took place in Ankara on 28–29 January 2020. The sessions focused on the contributions of renewable energy to employment and industrial development, reduced healthcare costs, and energy supply security in Türkiye.
COBENEFITS Istanbul Conference : Mobilizing the Social and Economic Co-Benefits of Renewable Energy in Turkey
IPC and IASS co-organized the COBENEFITS Istanbul Conference on November 13, 2019 at IPC Karaköy to share the first findings of the COBENEFITS Studies conducted within the international “COBENEFITS: Mobilizing the Social and Economic Co-Benefits of Renewable Energy” project. The conference was followed with a roundtable meeting on the issue on November 14, 2019 at IPC Karaköy.
- Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) – project lead
- Renewables Academy (RENAC)
- Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU)
- International Energy Transition GmbH (IET)
- Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center (Turkey)
Ümit Şahin
Ümit Şahin is Senior Scholar and the Head of Climate Change Program at Istanbul Policy Center.
umit.sahin@sabanciuniv.edu
Dursun Baş
Dursun Baş serves as a researcher and coordinator in the "Decarbonization of the Turkish Steel Sector Project" (2022-ongoing) and the "Promoting the Just Transition in Turkey Project" (2023-ongoing) conducted by IPC.
dursun.bas@sabanciuniv.edu
Onur Akgül
Onur Akgül is the researcher and project coordinator of the Promoting Just Transition in Turkey project led by IPM. A graduate of Public Administration from Dokuz Eylül University, Akgül has been conducting research and analysis projects on climate change, environmental protection, air pollution, Health Impact Assessment, energy policies, democratic participation and just transition for more than 10 years, working with academia and civil society on developing policy recommendations in these areas.
onur.akgul@sabanciuniv.edu
Pınar Ertör Akyazı
Pınar Ertör Akyazı is a behavioral economist working on environmental and climate policy. She received her Vordiplom (pre-diploma) in Management from University of Cologne, Germany (2005) and BA in Management (2008) and MA in Economics (2010) from Boğaziçi University. She holds a PhD in Economics from Boğaziçi University (2016).
pinarertor@sabanciuniv.edu