What Are Renewable Energy Sources?

Renewable energy sources are those that do not run out and are used in the production of other energy sources, such as solar, water, wind, and wave energy.

Why Are Energy Sources Important?

Depletable sources like oil and natural gas pose limitations. Therefore, alternatives must be created. Many of these alternatives are suitable for use in our country. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources places great importance on this issue with support projects, and the concepts of energy efficiency and effective use have gained prominence.

What Should We Do for a Sustainable World?

Minimalist living is becoming increasingly popular and important. We need to learn to live with limited resources and make it a life philosophy. The main actions to take include:

• Always turn off lights when not in use.
• Use energy-efficient electronic devices and lighting systems.
• Unplug electrical appliances that are not in use.
• Choose energy-efficient technologies for building insulation and use double or triple-glazed windows.
• Arrange rooms to make the best use of daylight.
• Do not hide radiators behind furniture.
• Keep building doors closed in winter and maintain unused rooms at a lower temperature.
• Insulate your hot water tanks and pipes.
• Prefer hot water systems that use solar energy.
• Keep kitchen appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers clean to ensure efficiency.
• Operate your refrigerator between 3–5°C.
• Allow frozen food to thaw before cooking.

United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The concept of sustainable development, in its current form, was first defined in the Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) published in 1987 and has since gained wide usage. With the spread of this concept, transformations have occurred in many fields, including the economy, environment, natural resources, education, governance, and health (Peşkircioğlu, 2016: 6).

According to Bimay (2020: 392–393), sustainability is a concept directly related to the environment. Particularly in the late 20th century, environmental sustainability became prominent, and numerous international meetings were held to ensure global sustainability. The main reason for emphasizing this relationship today is the deteriorating environmental conditions worldwide. Consequently, sustainability has become increasingly popular in recent years.

The roots of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) date back to the Millennium Summit coordinated by the United Nations in New York on September 6–8, 2000. During the summit, eight goals were determined to be achieved at local and global levels by 2015 (Abdin, 2015).

After the expiry of these goals, the Sustainable Development Summit held in New York on September 25–27, 2015, set new goals. The declaration titled “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” identified 17 goals, which were accepted by 193 UN member states (UN, 2010: 1).

Due to the broad scope of the SDGs, a multi-actor partnership is required to ensure successful implementation. Local governments, central government, NGOs, and the private sector must collaborate. In Turkey, this coordination is carried out by the Strategy and Budget Directorate (Tüzel, 2018: 18).

The Sustainable Development Agenda was adopted to find solutions to global challenges. All goals are interconnected. The UN 2030 SDGs aim to create a more sustainable, fair, green, safe, resilient world with high quality of life and equal opportunities—in short, to improve the lives of future generations (Sustainable Development Goals, 2015).