'Renewable energy is not romantic story, it's mainstream

The last days of 2015 saw a dramatic increase in air pollution levels in Istanbul. 

One wishes the continuation of alarming levels of pollution in Turkey's big cities since nothing looks poised to push the government to endorse an energy policy sensitive to climate change.

Indeed, as implied by Fatih Birol, the lead of International Energy Agency (IEA), if we are seeing a behavioral change in China's policies for emission mitigation, one of the main reasons is the unbearable levels of air pollution in Chinese cities. 

What good is having high growth levels if you can't breathe outside? 

What will it take for Turkish officials to grasp the urgent need to transition to low carbon energy? Seeing half of the population in Istanbul walking around with masks? That might not even be enough as many are convinced that the motto of this government is "money talks."

Well there is a case there too! But before I come to that, let me quote Energy Ministry Undersecretary Fatih Dönmez, who spoke yesterday at the same meeting where Birol presented on ?EA's energy world outlook report. 

"Some countries are making commitments by saying that they will descend from the 12th floor to the 6th floor. Turkey cannot be made to look less environmental with percentage games when it is trying to get to the fourth floor from the second floor," said the Energy Ministry's brand new undersecretary Dönmez. 

Let me translate it for those who might not be familiar with the issue. What Turkey says basically is, "Developed countries have polluted the world to get to their current levels of development. Yet, they don't want emerging markets to pollute while going to higher levels of development. This is not fair."

Climate change...