Head of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Prof. Dr. Halil Hasar said that events will be held at COP31 within the scope of Zero Waste Day on November 11, and on the same day, the Circularity Information Sharing Network Initiative and the Global High-Level Dialogue Initiative on Methane Emissions from Waste will be announced at the leadership level.
The world's most widely attended climate summit, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), will be held in Antalya, hosted by Türkiye, on 9-20 November.
Speaking to the AA correspondent before the summit, Hasar noted that they are planning to develop cooperation between countries in climate diplomacy at COP31, turn the targets into concrete practices and disseminate the Zero Waste movement on a global scale.
Reminding that the Zero Waste movement started in Türkiye in 2017 under the auspices of First Lady Erdoğan, Hasar shared the information that 90 million tons of waste has been recycled and 365 billion lira has been brought to the economy in the intervening time.
Pointing out that the recovery rate increased from 13 percent to 37.53 percent in this process, Hasar stated that the goal is to increase this rate to 60 percent in 2035.
Hasar said the following regarding the important issues that will be implemented within the scope of Zero Waste at COP31:
"At COP31, events will be held within the scope of Zero Waste Day on November 11, and on the same day, the Circularity Knowledge Sharing Network Initiative, which aims to increase international knowledge and experience sharing and strengthen cooperation in the field of circular economy at the leadership level, and the Global High-Level Dialogue Initiative on Methane Emissions from Waste, which aims to improve international cooperation to reduce methane emissions from the waste sector, will be announced. The target is to halve the increase in municipal waste worldwide by 2035."
"Waste is not a cost, but a resource for both the climate and the economy when managed correctly."
Stating that they made Zero Waste, one of Türkiye's prominent initiatives in the field of climate and environment, a separate theme of the COP31 Action Agenda, Hasar stated that in this context, they gathered the topics of methane, circular economy and sustainable production and consumption under the same roof.
Pointing out the importance of methane emissions from waste sites for the climate, Hasar said, "Methane from waste is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the short term. Waste management is one of the fastest-yielding areas of the climate fight." made his determination.
Stating that they have implemented Zero Waste practices in the conference area, Hasar said, "Antalya itself is the showcase of this approach. The conference area is certified zero waste. We first implement the model we tell the world in our own area. Our message is clear. Waste is not a cost, but a resource for both the climate and the economy when managed correctly." he said.
"Türkiye's position in climate diplomacy is a reflection of its geography"
Explaining that two ministers, one from a developed country and the other from a developing country, were assigned to follow up on seven topics in the negotiations, Hasar emphasized that they aimed for a COP in Antalya where the North and the South, mitigation and harmonization, assertion and financing, complement each other.
Underlining that Türkiye's relations with different international organizations and regional structures form the basis for the role it undertakes within the scope of the COP31 Presidency, Hasar continued as follows:
"Türkiye's position in climate diplomacy is a reflection of its geography. We are one of the rare countries that can sit at the same table with both developed countries and the developing world. We are a member of NATO, we are in the G20, we are a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization of Turkic States, we are a strategic partner of Africa, we have a customs union with the European Union. We assumed the COP31 Presidency with exactly this position. We showed this from the very first day. In Belem "We have presented a rare example to the world by agreeing on the hosting of COP31. The hosting is in Türkiye, the negotiation chairmanship is in Australia. We want the cooperation to continue as a single Presidency after COP31. What will be carried from Antalya to the world is not a text, but a way of working. It is a COP where the promiser shows how to keep his promise."
"Building bridges is not a slogan for us, it is a working method"
Hasar stated that the basic approach of COP31 is implementation, therefore countries are preparing mechanisms that will turn their climate commitments into concrete projects and investments.
In this context, Hasar stated that the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) platform aims to bring together the priority projects included in the national contribution declarations of the countries with technical and financial partners, and made the following evaluations:
"The Paris Agreement is 10 years old. The world is no longer having a hard time setting a goal, but rather implementing the goal. That's why we defined COP31 as the 'Implementation COP' from the very first day. Antalya's legacy will not be a new list of commitments, but a set of mechanisms that turn the promises into investments, projects and results on the field. The bridge, which brings together the priority projects in the National Contribution Declarations of countries with technical and financial partners, aims to close the gap between financing and projects. There is financing but it does not reach the project, there is the project but it reaches the financing "The bridge closes this gap."
Reminding that they organized the Pre-COP meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu in the Pacific region in order to bring the voices of small island states facing the most severe consequences of climate change to Antalya, Hasar said, "Building bridges is not a slogan for us, but a working method. We consulted separately with all negotiation groups, from the African Group to the Arab Group, from the European Union to the least developed countries, for a year." he said.
"Agreement will be sought on negotiation topics at COP31"
Stating that it is aimed to obtain results within the scope of climate finance and action agenda as well as negotiations at COP31, Hasar stated that the negotiation agenda includes the just transition mechanism, indicators of the global adaptation target, review of the mitigation work program and preparations for the second global situation assessment.
Hasar said the following about the results expected at COP31:
"We expect concrete results under four headings. First, a short, balanced and implementation-oriented Presidential Covert Decision that combines the urgency revealed by science with existing commitments and solutions on the ground. This decision will not repeat negotiations, will not impose a single path on the parties, and will be shaped by the views and ownership of the parties. Second, the result at the negotiation table. Just transition mechanism, indicators of the global adaptation target, review of the mitigation work program and a solid start of the second global situation assessment. We will complete the technical issues in the first week and spend the second week on political issues." "We want to reach consensus. Third, trust in financing. Implementation of the new collective financing target adopted in Baku, increasing adaptation financing and providing strong resources for climate funds. The fourth is the action agenda, which includes new country commitments and partnerships on electrification, green industrialization, resilient cities, zero waste and early warning."
