Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum said the implementation of the "Emission Trading System Application" will start by the end of this year in an attempt to bring down emissions in the country.
"We will start the Emission Trading System applications as of 2023. The system will penalize those who produce emissions," the minister revealed.
Answering questions at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, Kurum stated that the U.N. Kyoto Convention and the Paris Agreement were discussed in the meetings and certain decisions were made while practices, knowledge and experience were shared.
In this regard, the goals and projects of other countries are reviewed, the minister said, adding that Türkiye attaches importance to such meetings.
Comparing the emissions created by parts of the world from 1750 to 2019, the minister said that the United States produced 24.8% of emissions, the European Union produced 17%, China produced 13% while Türkiye was responsible for 0.6%. Meanwhile, China produced 28% of the world's emissions in 2018, since countries with huge populations have the tendency to produce relatively more emissions.
Considering Türkiye's greenhouse gas emissions, the minister noted that 523 million tons of emissions were produced in 2020 and this rate is below the reference scenarios. "We plan to produce 695 million tons of emissions by 2030," he added.
"We are now at 523 million tons, which should have been 599 million tons in 2020. We are 21% below our commitment. We are producing 6.3 tons of emissions per capita. When we look at these emissions, we see that energy-related emissions make up the largest share with 70%. Again, when you look at other sectors, it is a percentile, agriculture at 14%, industrial at 12.7%, and the waste sector at 3.1% respectively. We plan to see our peak emissions in 2038," he noted.
Kurum underscored that the ministry has decided to reduce emissions but an "absolute reduction" is not their priority at the moment as it is not in the country's favor.
As a result of its successful foreign policy, Türkiye received $3.1 million in financial support within the scope of the Paris Agreement. "We will use this money in our fight against climate change," the minister said.
Türkiye is in an ideal position as the country meets 54% of the installed power from renewable energy. In order to achieve the targets, the minister said the use of fossil fuels is being reduced while renewable energy sources and new hydrogen technologies are widespread. He added that this initiative is carried out in line with the studies carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
"At the moment, there is no question of establishing a new fossil fuel-based energy production facility. There is no financing for fossil fuels in the world. We must be a self-sufficient nation that can meet our energy needs," the minister stressed.
The worry that we will have to turn to fake foods in the future to combat climate change, according to Kurum, is an "urban myth."
The minister claimed that by observing villages we can understand the circularity of life. "You get milk from the animal, you make butter from the milk, you feed the animal grass, you create manure from animal waste, and you burn it as fuel. No such terrifying image exists. We won't have a place to live if we don't wage this battle. We must give in and alter our behaviors in every aspect," he emphasized.
