Page 47 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 3

Ruşen Keleş

additional principle has also been introduced that allow radio and TV
shows to address the issues regarding the importance of environment
and rising the awareness on environment.
• It is a provision on the law that those who are harmed or made aware by
an activity that degrages and pollutes environment can make a request
to the official authorities to stop such activities.
• Solutions will be sought with the liberal tools of market mechanism
for the applications related to the protection of environmental values,
protection of pollutions and improvement of the environment.
Besides the Environmental Law, Municipal, Coastal, Forestry, Bosphorus
Laws as well as Soil Protection and Land Use, Nuclear Power Plants, Protection
of Cultural and Natural Properties Laws are among such laws. There are also
various international agreements to which we are a party and that are legally
binding on our country on environmental issues. These include the Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural Heritage (Paris, 1972), the
European Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage (Granada,
1985), and the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological
Heritage (Valetta, 1997). Regarding these subjects, we have to adhere to the rules
of some European institutions such as the European Union where we are kept
waiting at its door as a candidate country, and European Council and OECD. In
this scope, it is an obligation that those who are responsible for implementing
the environment policy should take into account the following rights indicated
in the international Environmental Law such as “common heritage of
humanity”, “common but differentiated responsibility”, “environmental rights
of next generations”, “right to information”, “participation” and “resort to
the judgement” rights which are the inseparable assurances of environmental
right as the right of human as well as Article 74 of Constitution of the United
Nations which necessitates the good neighbour relations.
We clearly see that globalization, as in all areas, reduces the chances of
achieving the goals set by national policies as desired in the fields such as
urbanization, environment, forestry, tourism, urban lands, historical, cultural
and natural assets. Since all policies and especially the implementation are
determined within that framework, the principle of sustainable development
and even the rule of national sovereignty can sometimes remain on paper. The
balances between conservation and use, ecology and economics, individual
interests and social interests, long-term interests and short-term interests, and
more importantly, “discourse and “action” can be distorted in a while.
And future generations may gradually lose their right to benefit from the
values of culture, nature, history, environment and architecture. The housing
right (M.57) and the Environment (M.56) rights set out in our Constitution
remain as idelas that are almost impossible to achieve.

32 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate