Climate Law to shape Turkiye's next 100 years: Minister

By Aysu Bicer

KONYA, Turkey (AA) - The Climate Law, for which preparations are underway, will be a framework document that will shape Turkiye's next 100 years, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said Monday.

Turkiye's first climate council kicked off in the central province of Konya with the aim of establishing a roadmap in line with the Paris Agreement to reach net zero emissions by 2053.

The Climate Law, National Contribution Statement and Long-Term Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan will be completed with the decisions to be taken at the council.

"Our council members and commissions will reflect the scientific basis that they will reveal from hundreds of different perspectives on seven different fields into our Climate Law," Kurum said in his opening speech at the event.

The preparation of Circular Economy Action Plans and the Zero Waste movement are of great importance in terms of reducing waste and preventing waste, he noted, adding regarding waste, which is now an economic value, “we must quickly develop financial mechanisms for the transition to a circular economy.”

"We have to accelerate the reuse of wastewater and solid waste and the construction of rainwater harvesting systems," he underlined.

- ‘Stability to be an advantage for the carbon pricing mechanism’

Noting that the European Union has adopted a new growth strategy within the scope of the Green Deal, Kurum underlined that carbon regulation at the border is extremely vital for Turkiye.

A decisive step should be taken for the carbon pricing mechanism, which is a very important reduction policy in the world, he said.

"Our determination in this matter will give us a high advantage in both international trade and low-carbon technologies.”

Pointing out the importance of catching up with the rest of the world, Kurum said emissions priced today account for only 4% of global emissions, which is very low.

“However, in the coming years, we will see the rapid convergence of carbon markets in different geographies. Now, with the decisions we will take at the council, we will shape the basic elements of the carbon pricing mechanism to be established in Turkiye,” he said.

Citing forecasts by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), by 2030, an average of $6.3 trillion annually should be invested in energy, transport, water and telecommunications infrastructure globally, he concluded.

“We need a much stronger financial sector in order to realize the radical transformations that I have listed from the beginning."

Turkiye is expected to submit its updated nationally determined contributions at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) which will take place in Egypt this year, where green financing will be among the main topics.

A climate law, set for completion this year, is regarded as another milestone in the fight against climate change.