The government said in November 2024 that it was dedicated to global efforts to limit temperature increases to 1.5 degrees, A long-term climate strategy was published in 2024 but omits
coal phase-out.The government intended to complete its review of long-term (2030 to 2050) policy, and publish a new National Climate Change Action Plan with sector specific targets and monitoring mechanisms by 2023, but as of 2025 the plan ends in 2030. Turkey argues that as a
developing country it should be exempt from net emission reduction targets, but other countries do not agree. and cement. Public and private sector working groups discussed the
European Green Deal, and the
Trade Ministry published an action plan in response to its
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. A
green taxonomy is being developed.
Path to net zero can take out. There is some correlation with the
economic history of Turkey, such as a dip during the
2001 economic crisis. Turkey is aiming for
net zero carbon emissions by 2053. The
World Bank has estimated the cost and benefits, but has suggested government do far more detailed planning. The long-term climate change strategy published by the
Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change in 2024 does not specifically mention coal, but says that the "infrastructure of existing fossil fuel-based facilities will be reviewed".
Energy Emissions could be reduced considerably by switching from coal to existing gas-fired power stations: as there is enough generating capacity to allow the decommissioning of all coal-fired power stations and still meet peak energy demand, as long as hydropower as well as gas is used to meet peaks in demand. By the mid-2020s the gas price is forecast to have fallen considerably, as Turkey's production from the Black Sea will be more than enough to meet national demand. However, according to a 2021 study the electricity sector is financially unable to transform itself in response to the CBAM, and "to avoid market failure, the government must step in by designing a general decarbonization program for electricity production in Turkey". A
solar panel factory began production in 2020; and
solar and
wind power are the cheapest generating technologies, Fossil fuel subsidies risk
carbon lock-in, but if they were scrapped (as suggest by environment minister Şimşek) wind and solar power could expand faster. Relying simply on battery storage would be insufficient to decarbonise electricity, as periods of high and low demand last for two to three weeks. Ramping down
nuclear power in Turkey will be technically possible, at times when solar or wind increases or electricity demand drops, but would be expensive because of high fixed costs and lost sales revenue. However, after upgrading,
repowering and adding a small amount of
pumped-storage hydroelectricity, there are enough
hydropower dams in Turkey to provide
dispatchable generation to balance
variable renewable energy, even allowing for more frequent
droughts in Turkey in the future because of climate change. Turkey is in the top ten countries for
geothermal energy. National and international investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency are being made; for example, the EBRD is supporting the installation of
smart meters. Along with cement the electricity sector is forecast to be the hardest hit by the CBAM.
Buildings There are almost 10 million
buildings in Turkey, There is a roadmap, which says that as of 2021 three quarters of building stock is pre-21st century, that is pre energy standards. A typical residential building emits almost 50 kgCO2eq/m2/year, mostly due to the energy used by residents. The
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said that more could be done to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, and that tax incentives offered for this would create jobs. Such energy efficiency improvements can be made in the same programme as increasing resilience to
earthquakes in Turkey. However, as of 2023 gas was subsidized. Increasing the proportion of
passive houses has been suggested, as has adopting some EU building standards. Thinktank
Ember said in 2023 that
rooftop solar should be mandatory on new buildings, and say that installation on apartment block roofs is hindered by bureaucracy. To improve the
energy efficiency of buildings it has been suggested that
green building principles and technologies should be applied. Although
low-energy houses,
zero-energy buildings and
zero carbon housing will be encouraged, As well as more insulation help for poor rural people, subsidies for communal heat pumps and solar panels have been suggested for any villages where they would be technically suitable. Owners of larger properties such as shopping centres, schools and government buildings have shown more interest in heat pumps. Direct geothermal heating (not to be confused with heat pumps) installed capacity totaled 3.5 GW thermal (GWt) in 2020, with the potential for 60 GWt. There is no data on the
carbon intensity of cement. Emissions from cement production could be lessened by reducing its
clinker content—for example, by making
Limestone Calcined Clay Cement, which is only half clinker. The second-largest reduction could be made by switching half the fuel from hard coal and
petroleum coke (petcoke) to a mixture of rubber from waste tires,
refuse-derived fuel and
biomass. Although the country has enough of these materials, most cement kilns (there are 54 Further decarbonisation of cement production would depend heavily on carbon capture, or in
Diyarbakır Province.
Transport In the 2000s transport emission intensity improved, but this gain was partially lost in the 2010s due to the growing preference for
sport utility vehicles. Although Turkey has several
manufacturers of electric buses and many are exported, fewer than 100 were in use in the country in 2021. A 2024 analysis said that government was prioritising vehicle production and exports over electric vehicle use.
Ebikes are manufactured, but cities could be improved to make
cycling in Turkey safer. Although Turkey's ferries (unlike some other countries') are still fossil-fuelled, the world's first all-electric
tugboat began working in Istanbul's harbour in 2020, electric lorries are manufactured, and an electric
excavator is planned for 2022.
Eti Mine Works produces small quantities of
lithium carbonate locally, and plans to increase production for use in batteries. A battery factory is planned by Aspilsan, which is part of
Turkey's defence industry, and
Ford Otosan started making
electric vans in 2022. Over a quarter of a million
charging stations are planned by 2030. Building codes are being changed to mandate electric car
charging points in new shopping centres and car parks. As of 2024 2% of cars on the road are hybrid and 1% fully electric, but there are almost no commercial EVs.
Turkey's automotive industry makes
electric cars locally, which have incentives. However the special consumption tax(
Turkish) is 10% or more. As well as cutting GHG, creation of a domestic
electric vehicle market by
TOGG is hoped to reduce vehicle running costs, create jobs, Introducing
smart charging is important to avoid overloading
Turkish electricity distribution networks. but higher than in oil-producing countries to the south. Taxis could be better integrated with public transport. However Istanbul taxi regulations are politically deadlocked. The central government has drafted enabling regulations for
low-emission zones, but as of 2025 no municipality has created one. According to Shura three-quarters of emissions in the transport sector come from road freight transport. Sales of fossil-fuelled road vehicles will be banned from 2040. Using
International Civil Aviation Organization methodology
Turkish Airlines offers
carbon offsets certified to
Verified Carbon Standard and
Gold Standard. Turkey is participating in the
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. In 2024 the UNFCCC again asked Turkey to separate international from national aviation and shipping in its inventory.
Industry Restriction of
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) under the
Kigali Amendment to the
Montreal Protocol, which limits emissions of
fluorinated gases, began in 2024 aiming for 10% reduction by 2029 and 80% by 2045.
Electric motors in
small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming more efficient.
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia could help with hard to decarbonise industries; such as fertilizer and
petrochemicals. there are almost no supporters of the
Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, to provide information to investors about the risks of climate change to companies. Some manufacturers which export to the EU are adding their own solar power to reduce emissions, and the
Turkish Industry and Business Association has asked the EU for funding to help strengthen alignment with the CBAM.
Agriculture and fishing Climate-smart agriculture is being studied and financed, and
agrivoltaics has been suggested as suitable for
maize and some other shade-loving vegetables. Most
marine protected areas are “Special Environmental Protection Areas”, of which 13 are marine .
Carbon sinks . Turkey has 23 million hectares of forest covering quarter of the country, though over 40% is
degraded woodland. Turkey's forests are its main
carbon sink and offset 34 Mt of the country's emissions in 2021. However warmer and drier air in the south and west may make it difficult to sustain the present forest cover. Due to forest fires and reduced productivity due to climate change trees are becoming less of a sink but, Almost all Turkey's forest land belongs to the state and cannot be privatised. Private
afforestation permits have been issued however, to encourage tree planting in areas where tree density is low.
Civil society organizations, such as the
Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion and the
Foresters' Association of Turkey, are also encouraging reforestation. In 2019, an annual "National Forestation Day" every 11 November was established by President Erdoğan.
Junipers have been suggested for reforestation because of their hardiness, but are said to need help to regrow quickly. But, according to
Ege University associate professor Serdar Gökhan Senol, the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry sometimes replants when it should wait for regrowth instead. In 2023 about 15 Mt was locked up in
wood products.
Wildfires emit carbon dioxide such as 10 Mt in 2021.
Soil in Turkey contains
soil organic carbon, which is estimated to total 3.5 billion tonnes at soil depth, with 36 t/ha in agricultural fields. Soil organic carbon has been mapped: with low levels of soil organic carbon increasing the risk of
soil erosion. Turkey is a major producer of
marble; it has been suggested that waste from the industry could capture carbon by
calcium looping.
Economics During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, growth of the
Turkish economy, and to a lesser extent population, caused increased emissions from electricity generation, industry and construction, as described by the
environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. And from the 1990s to the 2010s they were correlated with electricity generation. But during the 2010s
economic growth and the increase in emissions decoupled somewhat. whereas the carbon intensity of energy has fallen from 300g per kWh to 200g per kWh. In 2018, the government forecast that GHG emissions were expected to increase in parallel with GDP growth over the next decade. Once economic growth resumes after
the debt crisis that began in 2018 and the country's
COVID-19 recession, energy demand is also expected to grow. Nevertheless, Carbon Tracker says that it will be possible to
decouple economic growth and emissions, by expanding the country's renewable-energy capacity and investing in energy efficiency with a sustainable energy policy. as richer people tend to fly more and buy gasoline-fuelled
SUVs. Nevertheless 2019 studies disagree on whether Turkey's high
income inequality causes higher CO2 emissions. The long-term strategy says that public procurement will prioritize low-carbon products and services. there were few explicit green measures in the 2020 package designed to aid recovery from the country's COVID-19 recession. On the contrary the
VAT rate for domestic aviation was cut, and oil and gas were discounted. Almost all the stimulus was detrimental to the environment; according to a 2021 report, only Russia's was less green. Turkey has received climate finance from the
Global Environment Facility, the
Clean Technology Fund, and various bilateral funding, but is not eligible for the
Green Climate Fund because of its status as a
developed country under the UNFCCC. A 2017 study concluded that a US$50/tonne carbon price (similar to the 2021 EU price) would reduce emissions by about 20%, mainly by discouraging coal. A more detailed 2020 study said that the electricity sector is key, and that low cost abatement is possible in the building sector. The same study said that low levels of abatement in agriculture would be cheap, but high levels very expensive. such as in wind and solar power. The short-term health
co-benefits of climate change mitigation have been estimated at $800 million for Turkey in the year 2028 alone. Academics have estimated that if Turkey and other countries invested in accordance with the
Paris Agreement, Turkey would break even around 2060. A 2023 IMF working paper says that carbon pricing can be designed to support poor people.
Fossil fuel subsidies According to the OECD,
fossil fuel subsidies in 2019 totalled over 25 billion lira (US$ billion), nearly 1% of GDP. According to a 2020 report by the
International Institute for Sustainable Development: "Turkey also lacks transparency and continues to provide support for coal production and fossil fuel use, predominantly by foregoing tax revenue and providing
state-owned enterprise investment." A MWh of electricity from Turkish lignite emits over a tonne of . Some electricity from these power stations is purchased by
the state electricity company at a guaranteed price of US$50–55/MWh until the end of 2027, Petcoke is used in cement production. In other countries fossil fuel subsidies have been successfully scrapped by good communication from government, immediate cash transfers to poor people, energy price smoothing and energy transition support for households and firms.
Carbon pricing Boğaziçi University has developed a decision-support tool and
integrated assessment model for Turkey's energy and environmental policy. Over 400 (about 9%) of the world's
voluntary carbon offset projects are in Turkey: mostly wind, hydro, and landfill methane projects. As elsewhere wildfires are a threat to forest carbon offsets. The main standards are the
Gold Standard and the
Verified Carbon Standard. Earlier academic assessment suggested a revenue-neutral carbon tax might be best for the Turkish economy, but
carbon emission trading is more likely to be accepted politically. The
Turkish emissions trading system is due to start in 2025. the UK and other
export partners. Turkey received by far the most EU climate-change financing in 2018: also the EBRD is investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and has offered to support an equitable transition from coal. Although there is no carbon price, other taxes in 2021 covered 39% of emissions and were equivalent to a carbon price of 22.50 euros. The OECD recommends carbon pricing for all sectors, but road fuel is currently Turkey's only major carbon pricing.
Politics Article 56 of the
Turkish Constitution states: Everyone has the right to live in a healthy and balanced environment. It is the duty of the State and citizens to improve the natural environment, to protect the environmental health and to prevent environmental pollution. A similar clause in the constitution of the US state of
Montana has been used to declare laws that support fossil fuels unconstitutional. However, until production from large gas fields under the Black Sea begins in the mid-2020s, some in Turkey see burning local lignite as essential to lessen the high gas import bill. Likewise, until local production of solar panels and mining
lithium for batteries When the treaty was signed in 1992 Turkey had much lower emissions per person, and no historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions. So, the
Foreign Ministry argue that Turkey should have been grouped with non-Annex developing countries, which can receive climate finance from the Green Climate Fund. Turkey ratified the
Kyoto Protocol in 2009.
2010s In a 2011 dispute over air pollution in Turkey, the main opposition
Republican People's Party criticised the government for prioritising fossil fuels. The
Climate Change and Air Management Coordination Board was created to coordinate government departments, and includes three business organisations. The Environment Ministry chairs it, though other ministries have considerable influence over climate change policy. The Energy Ministry has an Environment and Climate Department (responsible for the GHG inventory) and the
Ministry of Treasury and Finance leads on climate financing. to around double the 2020 level. In 2019, Ümit Şahin, who teaches climate change at
Sabancı University, said that Turkey saw industrialised Western countries as solely responsible. While discussing their limited actions on climate change, Turkey and other countries cited the forthcoming 2020
United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement (not knowing at that time that the US would rejoin early the following year) . Turkey was the 16th largest
emitting country in 2019. During the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit on achieving
carbon neutrality by 2050, Turkey co-led the coalition on the
decarbonization of land transport. , the government aimed to keep the share of coal in the energy portfolio at around the same level in the medium and long term. This was explained, in part, because of Turkey's desire to have a diverse mix of energy sources. Rather than increase imports of gas, it wanted to retain domestic coal, albeit with safeguards to reduce the impact on human health and the environment.
2020s Local politics and a just transition – "This is how they earn their daily bread"|alt=colourful tiny model trucks containing coal with "Soma" written on the side in
Zonguldak: Turkey's first coal mining region would need help to give up. Although the transition to clean energy increases employment in Turkey as a whole, lost jobs may be concentrated in certain locations and sectors. A 2021 study estimated the mining sector would employ 21 thousand fewer people, 14% of total mining employment in 2018. Similarly, it is hard for livestock farmers to make a profit, there have been no public debates about a just transition. According to former Economy Minister
Kemal Derviş, many people will benefit from the green transition, but the losses will be concentrated on specific groups, making them more visible and politically disruptive.At the municipal level,
Antalya,
Bornova,
Bursa,
Çankaya, Eskişehir Tepebaşı,
Gaziantep,
İzmir,
Kadıköy,
Maltepe,
Nilüfer and
Seferihisar have
sustainable energy and climate plans. A 2021 academic study of local
climate change politics said that "local climate action planning takes place independent from the national efforts yet with a commitment to international agreements" and that better co-ordination between local and national government would help planning for
climate change adaptation. Turkey ratified the Paris Agreement in 2021: according to
Politico the country was persuaded by a 3.2 billion dollar loan from France and Germany for its
energy transition, and Turkey's chief negotiator said the threat of the EU CBAM was a factor.
National Politics Some suggest that limiting emissions through directives to the state-owned gas and electricity companies would be less effective than a carbon price, but would be more politically acceptable. Turkish citizens are taking
individual and political action on climate change to the streets and online, including children demanding action and petitioning the UN.
Turkey's Green Party is calling for an end to coal burning
TRT World calls natural gas "blue gold". After the 2020/21 droughts, the
Nationalist Movement Party (the smaller party in the governing coalition) said that climate change is a national security issue. The threat of climate change had already been
securitized by Environment Minister Murat Kurum back in 2019. Also following on from the droughts, all parties in parliament, including smaller opposition parties like the
Peoples' Democratic Party and the
Good Party, agreed to set up a Parliamentary Research Commission to combat climate change and drought. A draft climate law, including
emissions trading, was considered in 2021 and a revised draft in 2023, but there is no emissions trading. In 2023 there was
misinformation about this draft, the draft aims to keep the tariff money within the country by starting
carbon emission trading. The national energy plan published in 2022 expected 1.7 GW more coal power to be built, but the opposition CHP had already said that no more fossil fuel power plants should be built and that there should be carbon trading. Businesses say the country needs to decarbonize so that money which would otherwise be lost to the CBAM remains in the country: NGOs and academics have such plans, however a February 2022 government-led "Climate Council" of all those groups and others issued over 200 recommendations, but not one for coal phase out. European Climate Action Network Turkey complained that civil society is not properly represented in decision making and in particular that there were no organizations such as theirs in the " Emission Reduction Commission" of the Climate Council. The Climate Change and Air Management Coordination Board () was a government agency of the
Republic of Turkey, responsible for coordinating policy against
air pollution in Turkey and climate change in Turkey; board meetings were chaired by the
Minister of Environment and Urban Planning. In 2018 a report outlining
carbon market policy options for Turkey was submitted to the board. the
Health Ministry is not actively involved in the permitting of industrial facilities, such as
coal-fired power stations, which cause deaths due to air pollution. Despite the
Energy Ministry being represented on the board, in 2018 the
European Commission criticised the lack of co-ordination between the climate change policy and
energy policy of Turkey. energy policy still included mining more coal and subsidizing coal-fired power stations. As of 2022 the board's decisions are not binding. Although the Health and Agriculture Ministries coordinate with each other, there is no formal agreement between Health and Energy or Transport as of 2022. The board was replaced with the Climate Change and Adaptation Coordination Board (CCAMC) and a Climate Change Presidency was created, (which seems to be just a different translation of the “Directorate of Climate Change”.
International politics Murat Kurum has said that global cooperation is key to tackling climate change, and US climate change envoy
John Kerry has said that the top 20 emitting countries should reduce emissions immediately. Turkey and some other member countries say the
Energy Charter Treaty should be changed to help with decarbonization, but because changes must be unanimous this is unlikely to happen.
Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) is in discussions with private-sector companies about investment in Black Sea fossil gas. However some academics say that low historical greenhouse gas emissions can only be used as a fairness justification under
international environmental law by
least developed countries and
small island developing states. They say that almost all G20 countries, including Turkey, should reduce their emissions below the 2010 level. but , the
European Court of Human Rights has not yet decided whether to hear the case of Duarte Agostinho and Others v. several countries including Turkey, brought by children and young adults. The Paris Agreement was ratified by parliament shortly before the
2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Hakan Mining and Generation Industry & Trade Inc. is constructing
Gisagara peat-fired power station in Rwanda. In 2022 the country promised, in its updated first nationally determined contribution(NDC), to cut greenhouse gas emissions 41% compared to business-as-usual by 2030: however this means Turkey's carbon footprint could increase to about 700 Mt by 2030, with emissions peaking by 2038 or before. Academics doubt that emissions could be reduced from a 2038 peak to zero by 2053, The 2053 target was reportedly set without consulting the Energy Ministry, and as of 2023 that ministry has not published a decarbonization roadmap.
Research and data access Sabancı University's Shura Energy Transition Center is researching
decarbonization pathways.
Linear regression, expert judgement and local integrated assessment modelling is used for non-energy projections. However in 2025 Hayrettin Kurt, Chairman of the Audit Committee at the
World Energy Council Turkish National Committee, said that facility level data from the
Turkish Emissions Trading System will be disclosed to the public. Quantitative estimates of the impact of individual government policies on emissions have not been made or are not publicly available; Space-based measurements of the signs of emissions has allowed public monitoring of the
megacity of Istanbul and high emitting power plants since the early-2020s. ==Adaptation==