Türkiye İş Bankası held various events on the effects of climate change on food systems, financing sustainable agriculture and technology-oriented climate solutions on the first day of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Antalya.
According to the statement made by the bank, COP31, in which İşbank participated as a climate supporter, started in Antalya, hosted by Türkiye.
İşbank Deputy General Manager and Sustainability Leader Ebru Özşuca made the opening speech of the panel titled "Climate Resilient Economy: From Adaptation Needs to Investment", held on the main stage of the Climate Finance Center within the scope of the conference.
Özşuca stated that climate change has become a reality that directly affects economies, production processes and daily life, and that COP31 offers an important opportunity to transform common goals into concrete practices and investments.
Expressing their satisfaction and pride in Türkiye hosting such an important international organization, Özşuca said:
"The finance sector has a very important role in this regard. We see contributing to the development of the Turkish economy as one of our main missions since 1924. Today, we continue this mission by supporting our customers who adapt to climate change and prepare for the future. We believe that COP31 is an important opportunity to accelerate this transformation, mobilize financing and establish stronger collaborations between the public and private sectors."
"Our climate adaptation strategies must be today's urgent financial and structural solutions"
The guest speaker of the panel was D.A. David Carlin, Founder of Carlin & Company, emphasized that the climate crisis is an urgent issue that can no longer be postponed to the future.
Carlin said, "Our climate adaptation strategies must be urgent financial and structural solutions of today, not abstract plans for the future."
Stating that Türkiye is a historical crossroads where different cultures and perspectives meet, Carlin stated that the country is in an ideal position to host COP31.
Pointing out that there is a significant gap between the financing needed by developing economies to gain resilience against climate change and the available resources, Carlin stated that the issue should be evaluated with a holistic system approach rather than individual entities.
Carlin evaluated, "At this point, we should approach the issue not only at the level of individual assets, but as a holistic system. Qualified financial models and strategic collaborations implemented by leading institutions such as İşbank assume a vital responsibility in building a climate-resistant economy."
Artificial intelligence assistant Clara introduced
Within the scope of the conference, the artificial intelligence assistant Clara, developed under the sponsorship of İşbank, was also introduced.
Introduced by Erguvan Founding Partner Eyüphan Koç, Clara brings together more than 20 national and international sustainability regulations and reporting frameworks on a single platform.
Working with large language model technology, Clara aims to accelerate the decision-making processes of professionals working in the field of sustainability and the finance sector by providing resource-based information services in 22 languages.
The artificial intelligence assistant was officially made available to all stakeholders within the scope of COP31.
Financing of sustainable agriculture was evaluated
Held on the first day of the conference, "Who Will Finance Sustainable Agriculture?" Representatives of Prospera Impact, Finance in Motion, IFAD and Türkiye İş Bankası came together in the session titled.
The session discussed farm-level needs regarding the financing of sustainable agriculture.
In the session titled "When Finance, Technology and Land Meet: Climate Action in the Age of Artificial Intelligence", representatives of Konfrut Tarım, Özyeğin University and İmece Mobil evaluated the contributions that artificial intelligence can make to agricultural sustainability.
İşbank will continue to organize sessions focusing on climate finance, sustainable development and green transformation throughout COP31.
While the Bank hosts the conference participants at its stand at the Climate Finance Center, it aims to make permanent and concrete contributions to climate action with the collaborations to be developed within the scope of the summit.
