Türkiye ramps up for COP31: Hosting, building climate-conscious nation

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​By Selcuk Uysal

As Türkiye prepares to host the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in 2026, deputy director of the Directorate of Climate Change (DCC) Orhan Solak said the goal goes beyond flawless organization and diplomacy.

The aim is to create lasting climate awareness across the country.

The “Awareness Raising Conference on Climate Action in Türkiye After COP30” was held in Istanbul within the scope of the EU Partnership for Local Climate Action Project in Türkiye, which is funded by the EU, implemented by the UN Development Program (UNDP) Türkiye, and has the Directorate of Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye as the final beneficiary.

Speaking at the opening, Solak stressed that turning international decisions into national policies and then into local actions has become a strategic necessity for every country, underlining that accelerating the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is essential to keep the 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) target within reach.

A major step in the process is the ongoing update of Türkiye’s NDC -- the country’s official climate action plan and emissions reduction commitment submitted to the UN.

Türkiye is currently finalizing a more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target and its long-term low-emission strategy until 2053, with greater focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, just transition in coal regions and nature-based solutions.

Solak said climate change has become part of life with extreme heat, prolonged droughts, flash floods, water stress, forest fires and increasing disaster risks.

Citing the latest World Meteorological Organization (WMO) assessments, Solak noted that 2024 became the hottest year on record, with the global temperature rise exceeding 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in a full calendar year.

“We are living through a period where records are being broken not only in temperature but in all climate parameters,” he added.

- COP31

Solak described COP31, which Türkiye will host the Leaders’ Summit in Istanbul, with the main conference in Antalya, as the critical stage where the foundations laid at COP30 will turn into concrete results.

“COP31 will be a decisive moment to make adaptation targets measurable and suitable for each country’s own conditions, to place climate finance on a more transparent, predictable and accessible basis, and to ensure that just transition and climate policies deliver real protection and support for vulnerable groups,” he said.

Solak noted that climate finance was a central issue at COP30 in Brazil last November, where the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap raised the annual mobilization target to $1.3 trillion by 2035, while adopting the long-awaited global adaptation indicators and a dedicated just transition mechanism.

He emphasized that hosting COP31 is not only proof of Türkiye’s organizational strength but also an opportunity to further solidify its image as a country that produces solutions in climate diplomacy, builds strong ties, promotes consensus and prioritizes implementation.

“On the road to COP31, we are not limited to technical and diplomatic preparations; we want to build permanent institutional and societal awareness that reaches every corner of the country,” Solak added.

The conference was attended by UNDP Türkiye Resident Representative Monica Merino, head of Financial Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Türkiye Maria Luisa Wyganowski, ambassadors, civil society representatives and academics.