Rising Stars - Power for a Better Future

More than 30 teens from around the world have formed eight international teams to work across borders to explore the challenges and best ways to implement clean energy policies in various corners of the world.

Prior to the kick-off, we encouraged the students to practice their critical thinking abilities as a warm-up exercise. Two students have emerged as exemplary rising stars to learn from:

~ Defne Su Kurt (Vali Muammer Güler Sosyal Bilimler Lisesi) on her research about Turkiye:

"Türkiye signed the Paris Agreement on November 4th 2016 and ratified it on October 6th 2021, just a few weeks before the start of COP26 (2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference) becoming the last G20 country to ratify the agreement. So why did it wait on ratifying the agreement for 5 years? The most important reason is the developed/developing categorization.....

Interest in renewable energy sources in Türkiye has risen along the years as the country's geography allows the use of solar and wind energies. Unfortunately fossil fuels (especially imported oil and gas) make up the overwhelming majority in energy usage nation-wide. Turkey produced 369.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO2) emissions in 2020. This was a year-on-year reduction of 4.1% and the third consecutive year that emissions in Turkey fell, having peaked at 397.1 MtCO2 in 2017 (Altaeb, M. 2021). Economic growth averaging out to %6.41 during 2010-18....

In July of 2025 Türkiye passed a law that adopted the EU model for emissions trading system (ETS) effectively reflecting Türkiye's net zero and NDC targets into law. In 2022 the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum increased the previously declared target of reducing 21% of GHG (Greenhouse gasses) emissions by 2030 to 41% henceforth causing 500 million tons less emissions. Though as Climate Action Tracker pointed out, these goals still allow carbon emissions to rise and are viewed closer to general suggestions. Furthermore, Türkiye overtook Germany's spot as the largest coal-fired electricity producer in Europe. With the EU turning away from Russian gas in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Türkiye aims to position itself as a new regional hub for oil and fossil gas. If this course is not reversed, it risks locking Türkiye into a carbon-intensive economy in the future (Climate Action Tracker). But to turn back to the solar and wind energy potential I had mentioned, Türkiye has "commendable" targets regarding it. It's planning to install 120 GW new wind and solar capacity by 2025 at a rate of “at least” 7.5–8 GW a year until 2035, along with investments of USD 28bn to upgrade the grid. This represents a sustainable path to reducing the share of fossil fuels in Türkiye’s energy mix.

As you can see, the energy market in Türkiye has its complications. Truthfully, arising from the difficulty of balancing your economic growth and energy dependency with genuine progress in lowering your carbon emissions. How do you think a country can balance this without negatively influencing its economic growth?"

~ Carolina Damo (Windermere High School, Brazil), on her follow-up inquiry on Ecuador's policy:

"Ecuador is rare because its constitution recognizes the rights of nature (Pachamama), meaning people can demand protections of ecosystems in court. If nature has legal rights, should any mining project be approved unless it proves it will not cause serious long term damage? Ecuador ratified the Paris Agreement on September 20th, 2017 and its second NDC includes a 7% emissions reduction target. A different view is that Ecuador's assembly recently approved reforms meant to boost mining investment and ease reforms. So, what matters more for Ecuador's future: short term revenue or enforsable rights for nature?"

Effective inquiry starts with asking the right questions. Let the inquiry begin! #internationaleducation, #globaleducation, #highschools, #internationalstudents