SDG 13

The University addresses climate change through education, research, and awareness campaigns. Faculty members organize conferences and seminars on climate law, sustainable energy, and environmental ethics, while research projects investigate the social and economic implications of climate change in Türkiye and beyond. Students participate in zero-waste and environmental awareness projects as part of KHAS110, cultivating a culture of climate responsibility on and off campus. Operationally, the University continues to implement energy efficiency projects and green campus initiatives that contribute to emission reduction and environmental protection.

13.1. Events

• “The Impact of Climate Change on Water, Food, and Energy Sustainability” – Volkan Ş. Ediger, 11 May 2023.
• “Economy, Politics and Power: Beyond Climate Change” – Alp Erinç Yeldan, May 2024.
• Paper Presentation: Didem Türkoğlu, “Double Emergencies: Media and Environmental Protests in Brazil and Turkey during the Pandemic,” Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Washington DC, 2024.
• KHAS 2025 Core Talks: Organised seminars with Faisal Husain and Jennifer Nedelsky on ecological history, climate emergency, climate-action planning, and related topics.
• CCLLAB Seminar: Prof. Dr. Michael B. Gerrard, “An Overview of Climate Litigation Around the World,” 24 Jan 2023. [1]
• CCLLAB Seminar: Prof. Dr. Douglas Kysar, “Climate Change Litigation: Past, Present and Future,” 6 Feb 2023. [2]
• CCLLAB Seminar: Prof. Dr. Christina Voigt, “A Debrief from COP27 and an Outlook Towards COP28,” 22 Mar 2023. [3]
• Seminar: Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Aslıhan Açıkel Erbaş, “Recent Developments in Climate Change, the Green Deal, and Sustainability,” co-organised by the Global Warming Convention Committee & ÇEVKO Climate Change and Sustainability Working Group, 27 Mar 2023. [4]
• CCLLAB & WWF-Turkey: Climate Change and Legal Perspectives on Preventing Deforestation – Article Competition, 29 Mar – 30 Sep 2023. [5]
• Wednesday Lecture: Prof. Dr. Başak Baysal, “Climate Damages,” 21 Jun 2023.
• Seminar: Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Alfredo Crosato Neumann, “Climate Change and the International Court of Justice,” 21 Jul 2023. [6]
• Seminar: Arş. Gör. Ece Uyanık, “Cross-Border Corporate Human Rights Violations and Environmental Damages in Turkish Private International Law – Comparative Insights from the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law,” 23 Nov 2023. [7]
• Conference: “Climate Damages and Arbitration”, 13 Apr 2024. [8]
• Climate Law Conference (06 June 2024) – Co-organised by Kadir Has University Responsibility Law Application and Research Center, CCLLAB, Lexpera, and Moroğlu & Arseven Law Firm. [9][10]
  • Christina Voigt: “Climate Change at International Courts and Tribunals”
  • Dr. Cemal Bali Akal: “War, Migration and the Climate Crisis: The Future of Rights Where Communication Fails”
  • Dr. Nilay Arat: “The Human Rights Dimension of the Climate Crisis”
  • Öğr. Üyesi Aslıhan Açıkel Erbaş: “Climate Crisis and the Transformation of Law”
  • Öğr. Üyesi Gizem Arslan: “Compensability of Climate Damages”
  • Öğr. Üyesi Argun Karamanlıoğlu: “CSDDD from the Perspective of Corporate Law in the Context of Climate Change”
  • Doç. Dr. Esra Hamamcıoğlu: “Corporate Liability for Climate Damages under CSDDD”
  • Arş. Gör. Kaan Can Yıldırım: “Climate Litigation in the Context of Property Rights”
  • Dr. Ali Güzel: “Effects of Climate Change on Occupational Health and Safety: Insights from the 2024 ILO Report”
  • Dr. Tuğrul Katoğlu: “Ecocide”
  • Öğr. Üyesi Aysun Altunkaş: “Green Criminology”
  • Öğr. Üyesi Alara Efsun Yazıcıoğlu: “An Overview of Environmental Taxes”
  • Dr. Başak Baysal: “Contract Law and Sustainability”
  • Onur Görmez: “Evaluation of ESG Records from a Commercial Law Perspective”
  • Doç. Dr. Ertan Yardım: “Collective Actions in the Context of Environmental Protection”
  • Arş. Gör. Ece Uyanık: “Arbitration Perspective on Climate and Sustainability-Related Disputes”
• Climate Damages and Arbitration Conference – CCLLAB, 13 March 2024.
• Sustainable Life Feminist Debate Seminar Series (2024)
• “A Feminist Perspective on Climate Change and Climate Policy” – 14 Mar 2024
• “A Feminist Approach to Sustainable Municipal Governance” – 27 May 2024
• “Transformations in Turkish Agriculture and the Gender Dimension of New Peasantry” – 05 Dec 2024
• Eco-Anxiety Research Presentation: Altan-Atalay, A., Gökdağ, C., Cengiz, B., & King, N. (2024)
• “When Does Eco-Anxiety Become Functional? The Moderating Roles of Cognitive Exaggeration and Tolerance to Uncontrollability”, 2nd Symposium on Psychology, Environment and Climate Change, Çanakkale, 23–24 Nov 2024.
• CCLLAB Seminar Series on Climate Change & Law (2023–2024)
  • Dr. Michael B. Gerrard – “An Overview of Climate Litigation Around the World”, 24 Jan 2023
  • Dr. Douglas Kysar – “Climate Change Litigation: Past, Present and Future”, 06 Mar 2023
  • Dr. Christina Voigt – “A Debrief from COP27 and an Outlook Towards COP28”, 22 Mar 2023
  • Marc Willers KC – “Climate Change Litigation in the European Court of Human Rights”, 08 May 2024[11]
  • Alfredo Crosato Neumann – “The ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Key Findings and Prospects”, 04 Jun 2024[12]
  • Öğr. Üyesi Seda Yurtcanlı Duymaz – “Climate Crisis, Forced Migration, and Human Rights”, 16 May 2024[13]
  • Arş. Gör. Dr. Uğur Kaynakçıoğlu – “International Law Responses to the Impact of Climate Change on the Seas”, 25 Apr 2024
  • Işık Aslı – “Sustainability Clauses in Contract Law”, 24 Oct 2024[14]
  • Doç. Dr. Najiba Mustafayeva – “Human Rights in Climate Change Regime”, 27 Nov 2024[15]
  • Doç. Dr. Bige Açımuz – “The ECHR Klimaseniorinnen Switzerland Decision and Its Aftermath”, 25 Dec 2024[16]
• Academic Papers and Presentations
  • Didem Türkoğlu, “Double Emergencies: Media and Environmental Protests in Brazil and Turkey during the Pandemic”, Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Washington DC, 2024.
  • “Economy, Politics and Power: Beyond Climate Change” – 1st Prosumer Conference, Kadir Has University, May 2024.
  • “Solow Modelinden Yeşil Dönüşüme” – Rethinking Economics Anatolia, Nov 2023.
  • “Assessment of Net Zero Emissions Targeting against the Global Climate Crisis and the Problem of Climate Justice” – OSTIM University SEBIP Conference, Ankara, Oct 2022.
  • “Towards A Green Income Support Policy: Investigating Social and Fiscal Alternatives for Turkey” – GTAP 25th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, Jun 2022.
  • Dr. Başak Baysal, “The Climate Crisis from the Public-Private Law Divide Perspective”, Kadir Has University Faculty of Law Journal, 2024/I.

13.2. Projects

• Green Library Project

Implemented climate-aligned initiatives, including tree donation schemes, energy-saving practices, waste management, water-saving, and access to clean drinking water via fountains and dispensers. Supports awareness-raising for climate action and environmental responsibility among students and staff.

• Faculty: Art and Design Faculty | Program: Interior Architecture and Environmental Design | Course: IAR356 Sustainability and Built Environment

Conducted in collaboration with Horizon Strategic Management Consulting Ltd. under a Project-Based Learning Partnership. Focused on sustainable built environment practices, resource-efficient design strategies, and climate-conscious architectural solutions.

• TÜBİTAK 121K522 Project (2021–2024) | Title: “European Green Deal: Threats and Opportunities for Turkey – A Comprehensive and Dynamic General Equilibrium Analysis”

Provided policy-oriented insights on Turkey’s transition under the EU Green Deal, aligning economic modeling with climate action strategies.

• Project Proposal: Eco-Equality – A Just Transition Based on Gender Equality (Submitted) | Funding programs targeted: Civil Society Support Foundation (STDV), Borusan Sustainable Benefit Program, Canada Fund

Aims to integrate gender equality into climate action and just transition strategies.

• ISG Projects – Energy Use and Efficiency

Kadir Has University’s energy needs primarily arise from heating, cooling, and lighting in both building interiors and outdoor campus areas. Energy is supplied through natural gas and electricity, with consumption data as follows:

• Campus Energy Profile
  • Total active indoor campus area (including Selimpaşa Campus): 39,722 m²
  • Active outdoor area: 18,973 m²
  • Energy share by source: 51% from electricity and 49% from natural gas
• Energy Efficiency Measures Implemented
  • LED lighting conversion across campus outdoor and indoor lighting systems.
  • Transition to Class A-rated energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment, enabling optimized temperature control and reduced energy consumption.
  • Continuous monitoring and maintenance of energy systems to minimize waste and enhance sustainability.

13.3. Publications

• The Role of Hydrogen in the Energy Mix: A Scenario Analysis for Turkey Using OSeMOSYS
  Author(s): Tetik, H. and Kirkil, G.
  Year: 2024
• The International Climate Psychology Collaboration: Climate change-related data collected from 63 countries
  Author(s): Doell, K., Todorova, B., Vlasceanu, M., Bak-Coleman, J., Pronizius, E., Schumann, P., Azevedo, F., Patel, Y., Berkebile-Wineberg, M., Brick, C., Lange, F.
  Year: 2024
• Comprehensive survey of artificial intelligence techniques and strategies for climate change mitigation
  Author(s): Amiri, Z., Heidari, A., and Jafari Navimipour, N.
  Year: 2024
• A new energy-economy-environment modeling framework: Insights from decarbonization of the Turkish power Sector towards net-zero Emission targets
  Author(s): Kat, B., Şahin, U., Teimourzadeh, S., Tör, O., Voyvoda, E., and YELDAN, A.
  Year: 2024
• Ranking willingness to reuse water in cotton irrigation with hybrid MCDM methods: Soke plain case study
  Author(s): Burak, S., Samanlioglu, F., Ülker, D., and Küp, E.
  Year: 2024
• Evaluation of shared micro-mobility systems for sustainable cities by using a consensus-based Fermatean fuzzy multiple objective optimization and full multiplicative form
  Author(s): Saha, A., Faruk Görçün, Ö., Pamucar, D., Arya, L., and Simic, V.
  Year: 2024
• Sustainability performance assessment of freight transportation modes using an integrated decision-making framework based on m-generalized q-neutrosophic sets
  Author(s): Faruk Görçün, Ö., Tirkolaee, E., and Aytekin, A.
  Year: 2024
• Economic Policy Uncertainty and Climate Change: Evidence from CO2 Emission
  Author(s): Benlemlih, M. and Yavaş, Ç.
  Year: 2024
• Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries
  Author(s): Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K., Bak-Coleman, J., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M., Grayson, S., Patel, Y., Goldwert, D., Pei, Y., Chakroff
  Year: 2024
• Clustering and Mathematical Optimization Approaches for Efficient Estimation of Electric Vehicles Charging Stations’ Locations
  Author(s): Ekmekçi, Y., Demirörs, D., Rassad, N., Polat, Z., Akkaya, E., Baytürk, E., and Pehlivan, M.
  Year: 2024
• REFLECTION AND INTUITION IN A CRISIS- RIDDEN WORLD: Thinking Hard or Hardly Thinking?
  Author(s): Saribay, S. and Yilmaz, O.
  Year: 2024
• Electric vehicle selection for industrial users using an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy COPRAS-based model
  Author(s): Faruk Görçün, Ö., Simic, V., Kundu, P., Özbek, A., and Kucukonder, H.
  Year: 2024
• Energy Management in Organized Industrial Zones: Promoting the Green Energy Transition in Turkish Manufacturing Industry
  Author(s): Ediger, V., Kucuker, M., Berk, I., Inan, A., and Uctug, F.
  Year: 2024
• Energy Performance Optimisation of a Single Dwelling Archetype Targeted to ZEB in the Earthquake Zone
  Author(s): Yılmaz, Y. and Yılmaz, B.
  Year: 2024
• Technology Assessment of Hydrogen Storage: Cases Enabling the Clean Energy Transition
  Author(s): Qudaih, S., Bektas, Z., Guven, D., Kayakutlu, G., and Kayalica, M.
  Year: 2024
• Resilience in Power Generation: Two Case Studies from Turkey
  Author(s): Avci, F. and Ediger, V.
  Year: 2024
• Green central banking under high inflation—more of a need than an option: An analytical exposition for Turkey
  Author(s): Ünüvar, B. and YELDAN, A.
  Year: 2023
• Future availability of natural gas: Can it support sustainable energy transition?
  Author(s): Ediger, V. and Berk, I.
  Year: 2023
• Global energy use
  Author(s): Ediger, V.
  Year: 2023
• Transforming Türkiye’s power system: An assessment of economic, social, and external impacts of an energy transition by 2030
  Author(s): Acar, S., Kat, B., Rogner, M., Saygin, D., Taranto, Y., and YELDAN, A.
  Year: 2023
• Toward a green income support policy: Investigating social and fiscal alternatives for Turkey
  Author(s): Dogan, B., Tekgüç, H., and YELDAN, A.
  Year: 2023
• Sustainable production of formic acid from CO2 by a novel immobilized mutant formate dehydrogenase
  Author(s): Tülek, A., Günay, E., Servili, B., Essiz, S., Binay, B., and Yildirim, D.
  Year: 2023
• Historical Pattern Analysis of Global Geothermal Power Capacity Development
  Author(s): Ediger, V. and Akar, S.
  Year: 2023
• Turkey: Challenges and strategies toward de-carbonization and sustainable development under the age of finance
  Author(s): YELDAN, A.
  Year: 2023

13.4. Courses

• KHAS105 – Environment Module

Focus: Entire module addresses climate change and the ethical relationship between human and non-human beings.

• KHAS1454 – Istanbul on Foot

Ecology Weeks: Included visits to Yapı Kredi Culture & Arts, Galerist, Bilsart, Zilberman Gallery, Metrohan, and forums on art, ecology, design, and institutional climate responsibility.

• LAW 474 – Climate Law (Elective)
• Course Description: Focuses on law, environmental protection, and climate change. Introduces students to: legal tools to prevent and address climate change impacts, fundamental concepts, definitions, and themes in climate law, the role of law as a mechanism for mitigation and adaptation.[17]
• IAR356 – Sustainability and Built Environment
  • Faculty: Faculty of Art and Design – Interior Architecture and Environmental Design
  • Semesters: Fall 2023-24 / 2024-25
  • Focus: Introduces core concepts of sustainability in the built environment, covers environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability, evaluates buildings, facades, spaces, and materials from a sustainable perspective, encourages resource optimization and long-term design thinking.
• KK502 – Legal Aspects and Practices of Conservation
  • Graduate Program: Cultural Heritage Conservation (MA, Thesis/Non-thesis)
  • Focus: International and national legal frameworks on conservation, institutional structures and critical evaluation of conservation practices.
• KK501 – Concepts of Conservation
  • Graduate Program: Cultural Heritage Conservation (MA, Thesis/Non-thesis)
  • Focus: Historical evolution and conceptual foundations of conservation culture, conservation theories, national and international legal regulations, ethical values and societal responsibilities in conservation.
• KK650 – Istanbul and Urban Transformations
  • Graduate Program: Cultural Heritage Conservation (MA, Thesis/Non-thesis)
  • Focus: Critical examination of spatial transformations of Istanbul historically and today, social, economic, and cultural impacts of these transformations, developing solutions for preserving the city’s cultural heritage.
• KK657 – Historical Anatolian Cities and Their Conservation
  • Graduate Program: Cultural Heritage Conservation (MA, Thesis/Non-thesis)
  • Focus: raises awareness of Anatolian cities and their conservation needs, equips students with critical approaches for applying appropriate methods in heritage protection.

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CnUOx QKYso/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn1l6NtqZnW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

[3] https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpe5Tqcq5zc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

[4] https://www.instagram.com/p/CqScp03KNxQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

[5] https://ccllab.khas.edu.tr/essay-competition

[6] https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu4oIu_KI9K/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

[7] https://www.instagram.com/p/CzqdhqaM0cg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

[8] https://www.instagram.com/p/C3-hKfps7ZN/?img_index=1

[9] https://www.instagram.com/p/C50DcDHsb3T/

[10] https://www.instagram.com/p/C6tnNMMqZJB/?img_index=1

[11] https://www.instagram.com/p/C6VpmW1Cnlu/

[12] https://www.instagram.com/p/C7g3qVnKcSg/

[13] https://www.instagram.com/p/C6yj5KUKIU4/

[14] https://www.instagram.com/p/DBGV1NnMEGo/

[15] https://www.instagram.com/p/DCBx7bYsgrf/

[16] https://www.instagram.com/p/DDwsCMMM2Ex/

[17] https://bologna.khas.edu.tr/ders/30004313/program/50000736