Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum took part in the U.N. climate summit COP27 in Egypt's seaside resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.
The minister met with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, where he stressed Türkiye's aim to develop cooperation with Cairo on environmental and climate issues. Kurum also had a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, where the recent devastation caused by floods was discussed as an example of the massive impacts of climate change.
Rehman conveyed gratitude for Türkiye's humanitarian aid during the calamitous floods in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection Steffi Lemke and Kurum also spoke on bilateral cooperation to fight the climate crisis.
Egypt has been hosting COP27 since Friday, with over 100 leaders and heads of state attending to discuss ways to lessen the negative impact of climate change and adapt to its repercussions.
Türkiye on Tuesday unveiled a revised plan at the COP27 climate summit for cutting its carbon emissions. "We have updated our nationally determined contribution," Kurum, told the U.N. climate conference, referring to the national plans for reducing greenhouse gases submitted by nearly 200 countries under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
"Our emissions will peak by 2038 at the latest," the minister said. The new nationally determined contributions (NDCs) call for Türkiye to reduce its emissions by 41% by 2030 compared with what those emissions would have if they continued to grow at a rate of 8% per year. The new plan had yet to be formally submitted to include in the official U.N. Climate Change registry of NDCs.
Earth's surface has warmed 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) already, enough to increase the strength and frequency of extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, flooding, and tropical storms.
Türkiye's emissions stood at 530 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, representing a 1% share of global emissions. The electricity sector accounted for 24.1% of total emissions followed by the manufacturing sector at 21.2%. Transportation recorded 15.8%, buildings held a 13.8% share and waste 11.1%. The agricultural sector was responsible for 9.3% of emissions and the remaining 4.7% stemmed from the shipping, oil, and gas sectors in Türkiye.
The country has ratified the Paris climate agreement and is focusing on conforming to the European Union (EU) Green Deal as it plans to implement several projects across an array of fields from transportation to industry, agriculture, and trade as of 2023.
The Ministry of Commerce is engaging in "climate diplomacy" with the EU while the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry develops an "Action Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Agricultural Sector" in order to get ready for implementing an ecosystem-oriented food production model. The relevant ministries will also increase their efforts within the framework of the climate change policy, according to a source.
