The “Sustainable Green Growth and Climate Policies Workshop” was held under the auspices of the Directorate of Climate Change by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.
12 August 2025
The “Sustainable Green Growth and Climate Policies Workshop” was held under the auspices of the Directorate of Climate Change by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change. At the workshop, which took place in Ankara, the secondary regulations of Türkiye’s first Climate Law were discussed in session-based formats.
The opening addresses were delivered by Hasan Suver, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change and Prof. Halil Hasar, Director of Climate Change, at a workshop that brought together participants from relevant ministries, governmental organizations and agencies as well as universities, and various civil society organizations.
In his opening remarks, Director of Climate Change Hasar indicated that since its establishment the Directorate has carried out a wide range of initiatives, noting that numerous milestones have already been achieved and others are currently underway, including the convening of Türkiye’s first Climate Council, the publication of the 2024–2030 Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies and Action Plans, the preparation of Türkiye’s 2053 Long-Term Climate Strategy serving as a roadmap for the 2053 Net Zero Emissions targets, the updating of the Nationally Determined Contribution, the development of climate projections through 2100 at a 3-kilometer resolution to identify climate-based risks, efforts to enable Türkiye to access greater financing from mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund, and the conduct of effective negotiations aimed at positioning the country among the leading states in the global fight against climate change.
Stressing out that Türkiye’s first Climate Law has entered into force to provide a legal foundation for these efforts within the framework of national values, Hasar said: “This is one of the greatest legacies we will leave to future generations. In this context, the Climate Law represents a critical turning point in achieving the 2053 Net Zero Emissions and Green Growth Target.”
Explaining what the Climate Law entails, Director Hasar made the following points in his opening address:
“The Climate Law will protect the environment and our natural resources while also safeguarding our country’s interests abroad”
The Climate Law will ensure the protection of the environment and natural resources, incorporate and operationalize concepts such as climate justice and just transition into legislation, raise both the quality and volume of production in industry and the energy sector while supporting clean technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, establish an Emissions Trading System, mandate the preparation of Local Climate Change Action Plans that identify local needs, risks, and solutions in the fight against climate change, create green jobs to boost employment, expand access to sustainability-oriented finance that has been rising sharply worldwide in recent years, increase Türkiye’s share of the annual USD 1.3 trillion expected to be mobilized in developing countries pursuant to the new climate finance decision adopted in Baku last year, and enable the country to achieve its net zero and green transformation targets alongside its economic development.
“Sustainable green growth refers to safeguarding the right of future generations to life”
Sustainable green growth refers to protecting the nature, conserving our resources, and safeguarding the right of future generations to life while advancing economic development. In other words, it means meeting today’s needs without exhausting tomorrow’s resources. This is why, sustainable green growth is not a choice but a necessity. Within this framework, we are entering a new phase through our climate policies. Today, we are here to discuss, together with all stakeholders, the steps related to secondary legislation required to put in place the practices necessary for green growth and to clarify our roadmap.
“I sincerely believe that the workshop will add strength to our fight against climate change”
At the workshop, we will hold sub-sessions under five headings in which we will examine our draft regulations in detail and consult on issues related to the just transition process. At the end of the workshop, a concluding declaration and a general evaluation session will be held based on the outputs generated through the contributions of all participants, and the results of the sub-sessions will be shared with the public.
I sincerely believe that this workshop will add strength to our fight against climate change and will mark an important step toward achieving our sustainable green growth targets. I hope that the decisions to be taken at this workshop will yield beneficial and constructive outcomes for our country.
I would like to extend my thanks in advance to our Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Murat Kurum, as well as to the representatives of our ministries and governmental organizations, members of the business community and civil society organizations, and representatives of our academic community for their participation and valuable contributions. During the one-day workshop, sessions were held under five headings: the “Türkiye Emissions Trading System Regulation,” the “Türkiye Carbon Crediting and Offsetting Regulation,” the “Türkiye Green Taxonomy Regulation,” the “Regulation on Local Climate Change Action Plans,” and the “Just Transition Process.”
The workshop concluded following the general evaluation session.