As Türkiye prepares to host COP31 in Antalya next week, Turkish academics are calling for the U.N. climate summit to deliver measurable results on water security, food waste and climate action, arguing that international commitments must translate into tangible improvements on the ground.
For the experts, the summit presents an opportunity to move beyond declarations and awareness campaigns toward practical solutions, stronger international cooperation and commitments backed by financing and scientific evidence.
Dr. Büşra Yusufoğlu, an assistant professor in Istanbul Technical University's Department of Chemistry, said COP31 should address food waste as a climate issue rather than treating it solely as a waste-management problem.
Citing United Nations Environment Programme data, Yusufoğlu noted that approximately 1.05 billion metric tons of food were wasted worldwide in 2022, while food loss and waste were estimated to account for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The consequences extend beyond discarded food. Resources used in production, processing, storage and transportation are also wasted, while decomposing food waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
"Reducing food waste is one of the most effective strategies for combating climate change, with results that can be achieved in the short term," Yusufoğlu said.
She called on countries to establish measurable food-loss and waste-reduction targets and incorporate them into their national climate action plans.
Among the measures she highlighted were improving cold-chain and storage infrastructure, converting food-industry byproducts into higher-value products, redistributing surplus food that remains fit for consumption and expanding technologies such as artificial intelligence-assisted demand forecasting.
Cooperation among universities, the food industry, local governments and policymakers would also help translate scientific research into practical solutions, she said.
"My main expectation from COP31 is that it moves beyond awareness-raising efforts and produces measurable and actionable international commitments backed by scientific data and defined financing mechanisms," Yusufoğlu said.
She added that preventing food waste would not only reduce emissions but also protect natural resources, strengthen food security and support more sustainable food systems.
Securing Türkiye’s water future
Dr. Ismail Dabanlı, an associate professor in Istanbul Technical University's Department of Civil Engineering and an expert in hydrology, water resources and climate change, said water scarcity, droughts and floods had become tangible threats to Türkiye's future.
Türkiye's location in the Mediterranean basin, one of the regions particularly exposed to climate change, makes the issue especially pressing, he said.
"Droughts and floods are not random events," Dabanlı said, linking increasingly disruptive water patterns to greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting changes in the climate system.
He argued that COP31 should help bring water security to the center of the global climate agenda, encouraging international cooperation, technology transfers and financing for water infrastructure.
Dabanlı also pointed to inefficiencies in urban water networks, agricultural irrigation and industrial water use as areas requiring urgent attention.
He called for measures including the renewal of pipelines, wider adoption of drip irrigation, the use of treated wastewater in agriculture and the development of smart water management systems.
Such steps could help Türkiye build a more resilient water system while reducing waste, he said.
Climate finance will be crucial to making those measures possible, particularly in developing countries facing the costs of upgrading infrastructure and adapting to changing conditions.
Dabanlı said Türkiye should use COP31 to press developed countries to strengthen their climate finance commitments, supporting investments in water efficiency, agricultural adaptation and resilient infrastructure.
He also highlighted the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the energy transition and improving energy efficiency in buildings.
An action-oriented summit
Dr. Şuay Nilhan Açıkalın, an associate professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, said Türkiye's COP31 presidency could advance a more action-oriented approach to climate diplomacy while giving a wider range of countries and stakeholders a voice in global discussions.
"Until now, important decisions have been made at COP summits, and processes leading to important decisions have been established," Açıkalın said.
"But under Türkiye's hosting, with the leadership and strong approach of our president, there is an expectation that COP31 will translate many of these decisions into action and deliver concrete outcomes."
She said Türkiye's climate diplomacy had developed alongside the country's institutional capacity and policy efforts, pointing to the Zero Waste Movement initiated by first lady Emine Erdoğan years ago and Türkiye's participation in the Paris Agreement.
Açıkalın also highlighted inclusivity as a defining element of Türkiye's approach, saying climate diplomacy should not focus exclusively on the priorities of developed countries.
"Türkiye's climate diplomacy is highly inclusive," she said, adding that the approach seeks to bring together a broad range of actors, particularly developing countries that have often remained in the background of climate discussions.
For Açıkalın, the summit's significance lies in combining Türkiye's diplomatic approach with concrete outcomes that address the priorities of a broad range of countries.