The Climate Network Türkiye, consisting of 16 civil society organisations working in the climate sector, has issued a statement ahead of the Fossil Fuel Transition Away Conference, which will be held for the first time in Santa Marta under the co-chairmanship of Colombia and the Netherlands.
The statement emphasises that, in order for Türkiye to demonstrate its determination on the path to the COP31 Presidency, it should join the international coalition, which will be established in Santa Marta, Colombia. It must also announce that it will begin preparations for a just transition plan to phase out coal.
The statement includes the following views:
“As the Climate Network Türkiye, we call on the Turkish delegation and Murat Kurum to participate in the Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Conference, which constitutes the first global summit on phasing out fossil fuels.
COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Murat Kurum previously announced that Türkiye would take steps to strengthen the decisions made at previous COPs on a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.
In order for Türkiye, which will host and preside over COP31, to demonstrate its commitment on this issue, we demand that it not only participate in the conference as an observer, but also join the international coalition aiming to turn the intention to phase out fossil fuels into a concrete action plan.
In parallel with our call for global-level participation, Türkiye must also take concrete steps at home. The fastest way to do this is to halt new coal-fired power plant projects and to announce a plan to gradually close existing coal-fired power plants and mines.
This plan must be implemented with a just transition approach that will ensure that local economies, workers employed in the coal sector and their families, and vulnerable groups benefit from the opportunities created by the green transition.
As a first step, the two additional units planned for the Afşin Elbistan A Coal-Fired Power Plant, for which an expert assessment concluded that there is no “public interest,” must be cancelled. In addition, projects in Akbelen that convert villages and olive groves into mining areas for coal power plants must be abandoned. While the lawsuit filed against the urgent expropriation decision affecting villages around Akbelen Forest is ongoing, Esra Işık, who was detained while defending her land, water, and living space during the on-site inspection carried out in the proposed expropriation areas, must be released.
Türkiye’s participation in the fossil fuel phase-out coalition, together with the aforementioned steps that protect nature and people at the local level, will demonstrate its commitment on the path to the COP31 Presidency.”