The Climate Network Türkiye, a coalition of 17 civil society organisations working on climate issues in Türkiye, issued a statement at the Bonn Climate Change Conference, where preparations for COP31 were discussed. The Network welcomed Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum’s remarks that emissions should start declining from today’s levels, and stressed that Türkiye must revise its current climate target, which is based on reducing emissions relative to a projected increase. The statement also underlined that the electrification target can only be meaningful if it includes a phase-out of coal.
At the Bonn Climate Change Conference, which began on 8 June and concluded today, Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum outlined the priority areas and targets of the COP31 Climate Action Agenda.
What is the Action Agenda?
UN climate summits have two main tracks: the formal negotiations, where governments negotiate and agree on decisions, and the Action Agenda. The Action Agenda is a collection of initiatives and commitments designed to accelerate concrete action beyond formal negotiations. It brings together businesses, local governments, civil society organisations and financial institutions. Türkiye is responsible for the Action Agenda at COP31, while Australia is leading the formal negotiations track.
Highlighting electrification as one of the most important pathways to decarbonisation, Kurum stated that the goal is for electricity to account for 35% of total final energy consumption by 2035.
Responding to a question on national climate targets, Kurum also said: “We see that emissions are increasing in some developing countries. They refer to this as a reduction from projected growth. But if we are to move beyond today’s situation, we need to reduce emissions from today’s levels.”
The Climate Network’s statement reads:
“COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Murat Kurum’s remarks on national climate targets are encouraging. Since day one, civil society organisations working on climate issues have pointed out that Türkiye’s current climate target is not an absolute emissions reduction target but rather a reduction relative to projected growth. We have consistently argued that this target should be revised and that Türkiye should begin reducing its emissions from today’s levels.
In this context, we call on Türkiye to update its 2035 climate target and begin reducing its emissions from today, in line with its net-zero commitment, rather than continuing to increase them.
We also believe that the COP31 Presidency’s electrification target is critically important in addressing the climate crisis. However, for electrification to deliver a genuine transformation in terms of both energy security and climate action, the electricity used must come from clean, renewable energy sources rather than fossil fuels.
Therefore, at COP31, we expect the same level of commitment not only to implementing existing pledges on grids and clean renewable energy, but also to accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels. These steps are essential if electrification is to support a cleaner, more resilient and more equitable energy system. For Türkiye, electrification can only be meaningful if it is accompanied by a planned and just transition away from coal.
In Bonn, we also submitted a joint letter signed by around 100 civil society organisations from Türkiye and Australia, including members of the Climate Network to the COP31 Presidency. In doing so, we reiterated our call for COP31 to take concrete steps towards implementing the agreement reached at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels.”
