Within the scope of the REMEDY project, field visits conducted in Ordu, selected as a pilot province, thoroughly investigated the public's awareness level regarding climate change.
The project, titled "Building Social Resilience Against Natural Hazards and Climate Change in Local and Regional Areas: Resilience Working Academy (REMEDY)," is financed under the Climate Change Adaptation Grant Program (CCAGP) and is carried out in partnership with Hacettepe University and the Union of Turkish Municipalities. Launched in January 2024 and planned to be completed by June 2025, the REMEDY project included two different field visits to Ordu as the pilot province. As a result of these visits, surveys involving over 600 individuals provided an opportunity to deeply examine the local community’s awareness of climate change.
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şahmaran, a faculty member from the Faculty of Engineering and the project's coordinator, expressed the goal of the project with the following words: "The aim of the REMEDY project is to make communities and the environment resilient to climate change, and its objectives are to increase climate change adaptation capacity, protect ecological and social welfare, and set an example for regional efforts. In line with these goals, the project’s methodology is based on fundamental approaches such as participatory workshops and awareness campaigns, geographic information system-based risk and climate impact assessments, the integration of traditional/ancient knowledge with modern science, and the development of inclusive strategies through inter-sectoral collaboration."
Through climate projections based on geographic information systems specific to Ordu, current climate events were analyzed, and scenarios regarding Ordu's climate future were created. During the field visits to Ordu from February 3-6, 2025, more than 800 citizens, as well as representatives from the public and private sectors, participated in training modules designed based on these scenarios and tailored to the characteristics of the participant profile. In this way, all efforts carried out within the project have become a lasting legacy for the pilot province of Ordu.
