After a summer of heat waves, wildfires and floods, the U.N. General Assembly is convening in New York this week where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will take to the dais to shed light on Türkiye’s commitment to countering the increasingly alarming effects of climate change and call for global solidarity "for humanity."

As a Mediterranean nation facing worsening climate conditions, Türkiye boasts some of the highest contributions to the Paris Climate Agreement with its commitment to the 2053 net zero emissions and green development targets.

Global contribution

"These are vital for Türkiye’s long-term climate strategies and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to be co-opted with political tools and in seizing opportunities in the global green transformation and the fight against climate change," Mehmet Emin Birpınar, former deputy minister of environment, urbanization and climate change, told Daily Sabah.

Türkiye believes the Paris Agreement is an essential opportunity for a green and sustainable world and supports the implementation of reduction and compliance policies, he said.

According to Selahattin Incecik, professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology and the head of the International Union of Air Pollution Prevention Associations (IUAPPA), Türkiye is making strides in cutting off its carbon emissions and increasing its green energy, especially in solar and wind power, which together accounts to nearly 20% of its installed capacity.

Incecik, also partially a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his contributions to the International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) win in 2007, shut down any criticism of Türkiye over its carbon emissions as a country whose energy production relies 25% on coal and natural gas.

"Türkiye is largely innocent in the grand picture," Incecik said.

"Climate change needs a global effort not just Türkiye’s individual efforts. China, the United States, India, EU countries, Russia and other world powers and then Türkiye come up on the long list of nations that must shoulder the responsibility."

As he addressed the G-20 summit in India earlier this month, Erdoğan boasted that Türkiye has prevented 90 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually thanks to energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts, for which the country ranks fifth in Europe and 12th in the world in terms of installed capacity.

The Turkish leader also hailed the zero-waste project, the first of its kind launched in 2017 under the auspices of first lady Emine Erdoğan to highlight the importance of eliminating waste in the fight against the climate crisis.

The project has since become a global movement, with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres expressing his gratitude to the first lady and the world body declaring March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste last year.

In five years, Türkiye’s recovery rate surged from 13% to 30% in 2022. The goal is to bump it up to 65% by 2035. Since 2017, the project has safeguarded an area equivalent to 2,000 football fields, conserved water equaling the annual needs of over 2 million families and saved energy amounting to the annual needs of 200,000 families. The project has also created thousands of jobs.

Ankara believes a fairer world is possible and strives to strengthen global solidarity, Erdoğan told the G-20 summit.

Incecik stressed that the word about the project should be spread more, especially by the local media, to reach out and move people on a personal level "because it is going to take time to catch on on a larger scale."

"It can only achieve success if big businesses are onboard and people are incentivized," he said.

2053 targets

In the meantime, Turkish officials are working on what Birpınar described as "critical steps" for its green transformation and policies pivotal to achieving the 2053 Net Zero Emission target.

"Additionally, Ankara closely follows EU policies like the Green Deal while drafting regulations on climate change and environment to comply with the relevant legal acquis," Birpınar noted.

The country now has in place main policy documents like the NDC, the Reduction and Compliance Action Plan, the Long-Term Climate Change Strategy (LTS), the Medium Term Program, the National Energy Plan, the 12th Development Plan, the Green Deal Action Plan, as well as the Climate Act draft that stipulates the foundation of a national emission trade system.

Under the Paris Agreement, Türkiye has pledged to cut its emissions by 41% compared to the Reference Scenario until 2030 when the levels will equal 695 mtu of carbon dioxide. It is also enforcing an economy-wide robust new policy and strategy package.

Per international agreements, coal will be obsolete by 2040, and Incecik believes Türkiye could be an exemplary country in the next two decades if its clean energy push progresses on track.

"Türkiye, whose solar power will surpass 50 megawatts (MW) in the next decade, is a very promising country in clean energy," he said.

The world is striving for a similar achievement in moving away from carbon and hitting the 2053 goals, Incecik pointed out.

Many EU countries are implementing strict measures, such as banning diesel and petrol cars in city centers and using zero-emission buses for public transport.

"Within Türkiye itself, achieving the 2053 net zero emission target is also possible," Incecik said but admitted that Türkiye is a "difficult country," listing the difficulties in curbing emissions, particularly in megacity Istanbul, which singlehandedly hosts more people than most European countries.

"While trying to have a positive outlook, we must also be realistic," Incecik said and added: "Still, there is a great effort in Istanbul and perhaps the metro network expansion and zero-emission buses and trucks will soon follow and offer a solution."