The Paris Agreement aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to ”well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to ”make efforts” to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday, 353 members of the Turkish parliament unanimously ratified the agreement. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change that differs from the Kyoto Protocol. While the latter focused solely on the role of developed countries in their emission reduction plans and targets, the Paris Agreement committed all countries, both developed and developing countries, to combat climate change and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 parties in 2015 and officially entered into force in 2016. The aim of the agreement is to reduce the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius (and preferably 1.5 degrees). Under the agreement, countries should define measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to their economic situation. Under the legally binding agreement, Turkey, which had previously committed to reducing its emissions by a 21% increase by 2030, plans to update its NDCs with emission reduction targets for the energy, waste, transport, construction and agriculture sectors as a first step and submit them to the UN Secretariat. Eu Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said any country that commits to the Paris Agreement and delivers on its commitments offers benefits in terms of job opportunities and economic growth. The Paris Agreement was signed at COP21 in Paris in December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. The agreement aims to reduce global emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. Kadigil Sutlu, a member of Turkey`s Workers` Party, questioned whether the government would abandon industrial projects criticized as harmful to the environment after the agreement was ratified.

The dispute over Turkey`s status is why it officially supported the deal. Although it has acceded to the Climate Convention as an industrialized nation, the government has repeatedly argued that it is a developing country and should therefore have access to climate finance – a status privilege. However, Turkey chose to ratify the agreement only as a developing country, although it falls under Annex I of the Convention group applicable to industrialized countries that were members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1992. It could be argued that the ratification decision and its timetable are intended only to receive financial assistance, especially since the aid is granted on the basis of the status of the ratifying country. Designation as a developing country would thus allow Turkey to assume less responsibility in strengthening its emission reduction targets for 2030 and mid-century. It would also give Turkey more time and a slower path in reducing emissions. This, in turn, could also suggest that Turkey`s net-zero target for 2053 is unrealistic. Although Turkey signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, it refrained from ratifying it for five years. This finally happened on the 6th. October 2021, when 353 members of the Turkish parliament voted unanimously in favor of it, making it the last G20 country to ratify the agreement just weeks before the start of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Turkey has also set itself a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2053.

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, President Recep Erdoğan said Turkey had not ratified the agreement ”because of the injustices associated with state obligations and burden-sharing.” We now have a basis for ambitious climate protection. ”He who has done the most damage to nature, to our air, to our water, to our soil, to the earth; Anyone who brutally exploits natural resources must make the greatest contribution to the fight against climate change,” he said. According to a report published by the World Resources Institute in September 2021, G20 countries are responsible for about 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This means that the role of the G20 group is crucial in reducing global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius by strengthening its ambitious climate change mitigation targets. Sign up to receive the latest posts, event invitations and our weekly newsletter in your inbox. Turkey is at a crossroads in terms of energy future: current government plans plan to reduce its dependence on gas imports through increased renewable energy capacity, but also through the use of domestic lignite, with 32 GW currently still in the pipeline. .