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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be in Dubai for this week’s COP28 summit as world leaders convene to discuss the fight against the impact of climate change.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP28, will be a platform where the international community will take stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement, which Türkiye is also a party to. The president is scheduled to arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Ankara advocates for more concrete action against the impact of climate change and the prevention of global warming instead of commitment plans.
Türkiye works to reach a net zero emission goal by 2053 and double its goal to 41% by 2030. It also revised its climate change law after consultation with relevant parties and based on scientific data. It boosted the size of its preserved areas and through ecological corridors, it expanded its green spaces. The country is also among the top three in the world with its 551 blue-flag beaches.
In addition, Türkiye leads global efforts for recycling through the “zero waste project” spearheaded by first lady Emine Erdoğan. It was jointly developed on an international level last year by Erdoğan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The declaration of goodwill, initially signed by the first lady and the U.N. chief, has since been endorsed by the spouses of nearly 30 heads of state, including ones from France, South Korea, Paraguay and Cuba. Launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change under the patronage of Erdoğan, the Zero Waste Project has led Türkiye’s fight against climate change. The initiative primarily aims to align the country with sustainable development principles, prevent uncontrolled waste and leave a “cleaner, developed” country for future generations.
The project received awards last year from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the U.N.-Habitat program. It was also included in an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country report in 2019 as a promising project. Recently, it was honored by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean before the first lady was awarded the Climate and Development Leadership Award for the project by the World Bank.
The zero waste initiative has already stemmed 3.9 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions and saved billions of dollars. Some 150,000 buildings across Türkiye have switched to the zero waste management system, which involves the separate disposal of garbage and recycling practices.
The ministry prepared a regulation on the issue in 2019, setting the guidelines for recycling practices. In addition, some 17 million people are said to have been educated on adopting zero waste practices since the project’s inception in 2017.
