COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum met with foreign press members under the coordination of the Directorate of Communications after the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit held in Istanbul Financial Center with the theme "From COP31 Vision to Financing Climate Action". Answering the questions of journalists, Minister Kurum made statements about the Action Agenda of the COP31 Presidency, which is based on 10 main areas, ranging from clean energy and electrification to Zero Waste, from resilient cities to green industrialization, from youth to food security, from oceans to health. Listing the global targets for 2035, Minister Kurum said, "We will implement 6 major global breakthroughs by 2035. In this context, we will take an important step in energy and aim to increase the global share of electrification to 35 percent by 2035. Our Zero Waste target is clear. We will save the world from turning into a huge garbage dump and reduce the global waste increase by half, that is, by 50 percent. We will reduce energy consumption in buildings by 25 percent." "Again, with the awareness that resources are not infinite, we will give back to nature what we take from nature by increasing the rate of circular material use in industry to 15 percent by 2035," he said.
“WE WILL RAISE THE FLAG EVEN HIGHER AT COP31”
Minister Kurum answered the question about what will be the difference of COP31 from other COPs as follows: We attach importance to the decisions taken by all previous COP presidencies. We want COP31 to move forward with determination to raise the flag even higher. Türkiye hosted the NATO Summit this year. Our esteemed President hosted 32 NATO countries in Ankara, our capital city, and the decisions made there were on the agenda of the whole world. Here, it has come to light once again that Turkey is the address of tranquility, peace and trust. In fact, the COP31 Presidency will be a reflection of this. During the COP31 Presidency, Türkiye will host 197 countries in Antalya. In other words, we will carry out the presidential process in which we want to establish a bridge between the East and the West, the North and the South, which we call the bridge of civilization. It will be a presidency in which we will listen carefully to every country, consult with everyone, and carry out our work within the framework of common agreement. We do not want to make any surprise decisions regarding this issue in Antalya, we have said this from the very beginning. For this purpose, we announced the Action Agenda together with our goals in Bonn.
“WE WANT ANTALYA TO GO IN HISTORY AS THE 'PRACTICE COP'”
Underlining Turkey's goal of an 'Implementation COP', Minister Kurum said, "In the COP31 Presidency, we want to realize together with the whole world how action takes place, how words turn into action. That's why we called it 'Implementation COP'. We want to act on consensus and action, and together we want to demonstrate a will to turn the decisions we have taken by consensus here into action, and we want Antalya to go down in history as the Implementation COP. We made the call today as well. "We are calling on the financial sector. We have emphasized in every environment how important the financial sector, the private sector and the states' participation and determination are in this work. Our President will also make this call to all world leaders. We dream of a world where we will leave a beautiful legacy to our future generations, our children and our children. We are pursuing this dream and hopefully we will realize this dream together with all our friends."
“WHEN YOU APPLY THE 35 PERCENT DECISION IN ELECTRIFICATION, YOU WILL INDIRECTLY GET OUT OF FOSSIL FUELS”
Minister Kurum answered the question whether Turkey has a timetable to quit fossil fuels in line with the 2053 Net Zero Emission Targets as follows: Of course, when you look at it today, the cost of fossil fuel extraction is many times more than the cost of renewable energy. So these scientific reports tell us this. Türkiye is in a really good position in the field of renewable energy. Our Ministry of Energy stated that our investment is increasing day by day and will continue to increase. When you implement the 35 percent decision in electrification, you actually indirectly quit fossil fuels. Our wish is for the whole world to come in 2035, in a calendar that we can call right in the middle, on the way to 2053. If he is sincere and really wants to do these things, he should achieve the 35 percent electrification target by 2035, reduce waste, reduce energy density, and switch to sustainable practices. From now on, it will develop on its own.
“THE WORLD HAS TO REACH THE ELECTRIFICATION TARGET”
In response to journalists' questions about the electrification target of the COP31 Presidency, Minister Kurum made the following evaluations: Türkiye is currently at the 23 percent level and with the targets we have set, we will reach at least 35 percent by 2035. I think this will go even further with the work of our Ministry of Energy. As you know, the first domestic and national car in Turkey was produced electric. In this context, we became a country that entered the electric car market at a time when the world was changing. We, as a country, will continue to increase this process. Can the whole world catch this? He has to catch it. So this is a must. If he cannot catch it, we are faced with events that we do not want to happen. This is the purpose of holding the finance summit today. The biggest problem in achieving these goals is finance and access to finance. In other words, we call on the world to fulfill its commitments. As the COP31 Presidency, we will follow up on this. We will bring to the table both the follow-up and the decisions that need to be taken. We want these decisions to be made by consensus at the table. Therefore, the issue of electrification is actually the most important step for the realization of this work. Türkiye has taken this step as the COP31 Presidency and announced it to the whole world, and I believe that we will achieve this success together.
“ALL COUNTRIES SHOULD INCREASE THEIR FIGHTING BUDGETS REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE”
Answering the questions about the statement that climate finance is 'as important as NATO investments', Minister Kurum said, "If we are increasing our budget in defense expenditures, we call for an increase in these budgets in the fight against climate change. We are making this call to the whole world. Because yes, you can defend your country well, but there is no point in defending if there is a world left that cannot be lived in." Minister Kurum also answered the question of whether a binding decision will be taken from COP31 at this point as follows: Does a developed country spend 10 percent of its budget? Let him increase his spending on this further. If we are to bridge this gap, we call on all countries of the world to increase their budgets in the fight against climate change. We will consult about this. If a consensus is reached, we would like to give a percentage, but even if a consensus is not reached, we expect all countries to make this commitment, this declaration of good will.
“THE JOB THAT YOU DO FOR 10 TL AFTER THE DISASTER CAN BE DONE FOR 1 TL BEFORE THE DISASTER”
Minister Kurum, who reiterated his call to countries to take urgent action against increasing natural disasters as COP31 President, continued as follows: The world's expectation from humanity is not promises, not commitments, but now expects us to put these commitments into action. All humanity expects this from us. You are facing threats of extinction in the process that you have not already gone through. Today, Nepal unfortunately felt the effects of this climate change painfully. We feel it through fires and floods. Unfortunately, energy crises lead humanity to find other solutions. Therefore, while these problems are evident, we all have to show stronger will. In economic terms, you can make the improvements you would make after the disaster at one-tenth the cost before the disaster. That's at least one in ten. In other words, you can do the job for 1 lira before the disaster that you did for 10 lira after the disaster. Therefore, when you look at it from a budgetary perspective, doing this is actually a gain for the countries. We do not want to be right, but unfortunately the facts are painful, and the whole world needs to show this determination together. I am sure that all countries in the world will show this determination. Frankly, I'm not too pessimistic here. In other words, the meetings we held and the impressions we received show that the whole world actually meets on common ground here. The important thing here is to show the will to achieve these goals, increase the budget, facilitate access to finance and technology. I hope that together we will reflect this understanding that no one is left behind.
PILOT APPLICATION IN 6 COUNTRIES FOR CLIMATE BRIDGE
Minister Kurum explained the system that COP31 will implement with the Climate Implementation Bridge as follows: With the Climate Implementation Bridge, we will provide project support to countries that cannot implement those projects today. You can give money, but money cannot meet the project. In other words, many international development banks and investment banks want to give loans to countries today. Our mayor stated, here is our vice mayor, but there is no project. So, if there is no project, what will he give credit to? We will accelerate this, too. We will pilot this in 6 countries. We will make this statement in New York as well. It will actually be an important step that will contribute to us in the eyes of the UN with 6 countries.
FOSSIL FUEL ANSWER TO THE POLISH JOURNALIST: WE ARE 5TH IN EUROPE IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
Answering the question of the Polish journalist who criticized the joint work of Turkey and Russia in the energy sector, Minister Kurum said, "196 countries have to take a step together here. You cannot take anything alone. The words you say alone have no meaning. We are trying to increase this common consensus. When we come to Turkey in particular, it is one of the countries that has the least share in the pollution of the world today. Its responsibility is almost non-existent. You can look at the data. The world has warmed by 1.3 degrees Celsius today. Developed countries are brutalizing the world." "We have used our resources and come to this point. Developing countries, such as Turkey, do not have a historical responsibility. Although we do not, today we are 5th in Europe and 11th in the world. I mean, I want Poland to be the first. I mean, we are in a good place."
"WHAT IS WRONG, SHOULD WE BUILD A NUCLEAR FACILITY? OF COURSE WE WILL DO IT FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY"
Reminding that Turkey has taken decisive steps in many areas in this process, from renewable energy investments to 2053 Net Zero Emission steps to the Climate Canon, Minister Kurum said, "We are one of the rare countries in the world that has issued a Climate Canon. We are one of the rare countries that have implemented emission trading and our share of renewable energy has exceeded 50 percent in our installed power. I think there are 5-6 thermal power plants operating in Turkey. We, as the Ministry of Environment, monitor their emissions." You cannot even compare the coal and fossil fuel used here with the EU and many developed countries. Nuclear energy is one of them. We have to invest in hydrogen. We have to increase renewable energy so that we can get rid of fossil fuels. Turkey is investing in a nuclear facility and when it is established, we will meet 10 percent of our energy needs. "What a decisive step in the fight against climate change. What's wrong here? I mean, building a nuclear facility? Of course we will. We will, so that we can show that determination in this fight."
“Türkiye IS FOR PEACE”
Reminding the Polish journalist that the will of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan enabled the opening of the Grain Corridor, Minister Kurum concluded his words as follows: Türkiye is neither in favor of Ukraine nor in favor of Russia. Türkiye is in favor of peace and tranquility and we show this will. The whole world applauds this. I don't know if you could follow it, but our stance here has always been and will continue to be the address of peace, trust and tranquility. In other words, Türkiye will make these revolutions in every field. Today, there is a country in the world that is leading this, we should appreciate and thank it. We have always been mediators in the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the crisis in the Middle East. We wanted the war to end. We wanted the drama in Palestine and Syria to end. We hosted 5 million Syrian people, refugees, and our brothers in our home. The mayor before you (Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin) hosted 1 million Syrians in her city for years. Therefore, Turkey's stance is admirable, and I hope it will continue to be so.
AGREEMENT WITH ASYA INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT BANK WITHIN THE SCOPE OF COP31
