Having been awarded the Regional Ozone Network for Europe and Central Asia's Ozone Layer Protection Medal of Honor in 2012, 2014 and 2016, Turkey now has its eyes on winning the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) medal for the fourth time.

The Medal of Honor is presented to selected countries that have implemented successful practices to stop ozone depletion.

Having partnered with Montreal on ozone protection since 1991, Turkey has implemented strict quota measures on the exports of substances that are harmful to the ozone, in adherence with the protocol which was designed to reduce the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances in order to reduce their presence in the atmosphere, thereby protecting the earth's fragile ozone layer. The largest hole in the Earth's ozone, on record, measured roughly 30 million square kilometers in 2006. The Montreal Protocol was signed by 197 countries in 1989 and by Turkey in 1991. The protocol is designed to allow countries to respond quickly to new scientific information and form agreements on the acceleration of chemical reduction measures. It has been regarded as one of the most successful international environment agreements so far.

Turkey's Minister of Environment and Urbanization Mehmet Özhaseki said: "The earth's climate is changing rapidly and this issue cannot be solved without taking action on a global level. It is possible to reduce the effects of climate change with the precautionary measures we are taking today. We will continue to pursue policies and practices that protect the planet Earth and Turkey's bright future."