Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bogazici University, Hisar Campus, 34342, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Jun;29(27):40302-40318. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-19786-8. Epub 2022 Mar 22.
Turkish government aimed to increase the installed capacities of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) according to several policies and strategic plans published in recent years. Energy production from CFPPs and subsidizing the coal sector were selected for reducing the import dependency as a cheaper option. CFPPs with gaseous emissions as well as fly ash and fine dust, along with ash storage, coal storage, and coal mining operations and water use for cooling of the plants, affect the environmental quality. Hence, the health of inhabitants of the environment is affected. CFPPs to be built, according to strategic plans, will emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and would severely undermine the targets for a 1.5 ℃ or 2 ℃ warmer world. Subsidies to the coal sector, along with exemptions from environmental regulations, combined with slower growth of energy production from renewable energy sources (RES), may lead to a path dependence on coal, while the rest of the world increases their energy production from RES. This study demonstrates the concrete examples of pollution caused by CFPPs in Turkey, along with health effects with the addition of policy context toward utilization of CFPPs, to point out the risks these plants constitute both for the environment and economy. Increasing the share of RES in the energy mixture is particularly important for Turkey due to being in a geographical region that is highly vulnerable to climate change effects. This study also briefly discusses how the increase of RES and de-carbonization in Turkey could be conducted in the short- and long-term, upon the literature provided.
土耳其政府近年来根据多项政策和战略计划，旨在增加燃煤电厂（CFPPs）的装机容量。从 CFPPs 中发电并对煤炭部门进行补贴，被选为减少进口依赖的更廉价选择。CFPPs 会排放气态污染物以及飞灰和细尘，同时还会进行灰渣储存、煤炭储存以及煤炭开采作业，并使用水来冷却工厂，这会影响环境质量。因此，环境中居民的健康受到影响。根据战略计划，将要建造的 CFPPs 将排放大量温室气体（GHGs），并严重破坏 1.5°C 或 2°C 更暖世界的目标。对煤炭部门的补贴，以及对环境法规的豁免，加上可再生能源（RES）的能源生产增长缓慢，可能导致对煤炭的路径依赖，而世界其他地区则增加了从 RES 中获得的能源生产。本研究展示了土耳其 CFPPs 造成的污染具体实例，以及添加对 CFPPs 利用的政策背景后的健康影响，以指出这些工厂对环境和经济构成的风险。由于土耳其地处气候变化影响高度脆弱的地理区域，增加能源组合中可再生能源的份额对土耳其尤为重要。本研究还根据提供的文献，简要讨论了土耳其如何在短期和长期内增加可再生能源并实现脱碳化。
