The Climate Envoys Local Conference of Youth was held in Konya this year.

28 September 2025

The Climate Envoys Local Conference of Youth was held in Konya this year. As part of ongoing efforts to encourage youth participation in climate change mitigation, raise public awareness, and ensure the meaningful involvement of young people in decision-making processes, the Climate Envoys organized the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) in Konya this year.

Over the course of the two-day conference, panel sessions, presentations, and workshops were held under the themes “Just Transition and the Green Economy: Shaping the Workforce of the Future,” “Climate Chat with Young People: Türkiye’s Climate Future,” and “Empowering the Vulnerable: Youth Action Against the Climate Crisis.”

Addressing participants at the conference, Deputy Director of Climate Change Orhan Solak described the work carried out by the Climate Envoys as highly valuable, noting that young people developing this level of awareness at an early stage represents a strong source of hope for both Türkiye’s future and the global climate agenda.

“We will take the ideas of our youth to COP30”

Underlining the significance of the Local Conference of Youth, Deputy Director Solak said, “The ideas and proposals put forward by our young people at today’s Local Conference of Youth will be taken to COP30, which will be held in Belém later this year.”

Solak stressed out that the climate crisis posed a serious and growing threat to the future of both Türkiye and the world. “We are now witnessing record-breaking trends across all climate indicators,” he said.

“Sea levels are rising, ocean temperatures are increasing, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to climb, and glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates. Unfortunately, medium- and long-term projections show that these impacts and associated risks will intensify further. Türkiye is located in the Mediterranean Basin, one of the regions most severely affected by climate change. Temperature increases of up to 2°C by 2040 and as much as 5°C by 2100 are projected for this region.”

Deputy Director Solak also briefed young participants on Türkiye’s 2053 Net Zero Emissions Target, the Climate Law, the Green Transition, as well as the National Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies and Action Plans.

In addition to Deputy Director of Climate Change Orhan Solak, the conference was attended by Climate Envoy students from various universities, UNICEF Türkiye ADAP Section Chief Chizuru Iwata, Konya Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Mustafa Yazlık, Konya Provincial Director of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Fatih Ayaz, along with many young participants.