NEW DELHI: As host of this year's UN climate summit, Turkiye plans to make balancing development rights with green transformation a core idea for COP31 while focusing on implementation of decisions agreed to by countries in earlier summits.
However, the Turkish presidency has yet to clarify what this balance would mean for key issues of climate finance and the transition away from fossil fuels.
It has identified nine priority issues as its climate action agenda for defining the balance between development and green transformation. These include zero waste, youth and education, food security, green industrialisation, resilience, climate action implementation mechanism, climate resilient cities, and seas and oceans.
Finance, technology, renewable energy, energy efficiency and transition away from fossil fuels did not make the cut as standalone issues.
Nor does the climate action agenda make any reference to the Turkish presidency's plans about the roadmap for transitioning from fossil fuel that is being prepared as an initiative of the Brazilian COP30 presidency.
Also Read: World spent 33 times more on destroying nature than on protecting it: UN Report
COP31 president designate, Turkish environment minister Murat Kurum said the issue of transitioning away from fossil fuels has been taken up in earlier COPs. "Building on these decisions we will hopefully take further steps to strengthen them," he said.
Turkiye is not giving any clear indication on how it proposes to address the issues of finance and fossil fuels. Balance is the mantra. "Turkiye is a balancing power between the fossil bloc and the green bloc. Turkiye has a non-aligned position," Kurum said.
Addressing a press conference along with Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Kurum said, "Energy security is currently at the top of the global agenda. Every country must take the necessary steps to meet its own energy needs without harming our world and jeopardising our future."
He, however, did not talk about fossil fuel dependence. Nor does the focus on energy security include energy efficiency, even though countries agreed in Dubai to double the rate of energy efficiency by 2030.
Also Read: Mideast war 'threatens global food security': WTO chief
In the meantime, Turkiye is forging ahead with its focus on emissions from waste. Zero waste is a flagship environment programme of the Turkish government. An effort has been made to link this programme with the climate agenda by focusing on methane reduction.
COP31 has an unusual arrangement-Turkiye holds the COP31 presidency while Australia will be in-charge of the negotiations.
Kurum said Australia "has to conduct all consultations related to negotiation matters in coordination with the COP presidency. In other words, it cannot take a decision that is not endorsed by the COP presidency. We are carrying out this work in full alignment."
How Turkiye and Australia plan to address such critical issues that have political salience will be central to successful outcomes at COP31.
However, the Turkish presidency has yet to clarify what this balance would mean for key issues of climate finance and the transition away from fossil fuels.
It has identified nine priority issues as its climate action agenda for defining the balance between development and green transformation. These include zero waste, youth and education, food security, green industrialisation, resilience, climate action implementation mechanism, climate resilient cities, and seas and oceans.
Finance, technology, renewable energy, energy efficiency and transition away from fossil fuels did not make the cut as standalone issues.
Nor does the climate action agenda make any reference to the Turkish presidency's plans about the roadmap for transitioning from fossil fuel that is being prepared as an initiative of the Brazilian COP30 presidency.
Also Read: World spent 33 times more on destroying nature than on protecting it: UN Report
COP31 president designate, Turkish environment minister Murat Kurum said the issue of transitioning away from fossil fuels has been taken up in earlier COPs. "Building on these decisions we will hopefully take further steps to strengthen them," he said.
Turkiye is not giving any clear indication on how it proposes to address the issues of finance and fossil fuels. Balance is the mantra. "Turkiye is a balancing power between the fossil bloc and the green bloc. Turkiye has a non-aligned position," Kurum said.
Addressing a press conference along with Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Kurum said, "Energy security is currently at the top of the global agenda. Every country must take the necessary steps to meet its own energy needs without harming our world and jeopardising our future."
He, however, did not talk about fossil fuel dependence. Nor does the focus on energy security include energy efficiency, even though countries agreed in Dubai to double the rate of energy efficiency by 2030.
Also Read: Mideast war 'threatens global food security': WTO chief
In the meantime, Turkiye is forging ahead with its focus on emissions from waste. Zero waste is a flagship environment programme of the Turkish government. An effort has been made to link this programme with the climate agenda by focusing on methane reduction.
COP31 has an unusual arrangement-Turkiye holds the COP31 presidency while Australia will be in-charge of the negotiations.
Kurum said Australia "has to conduct all consultations related to negotiation matters in coordination with the COP presidency. In other words, it cannot take a decision that is not endorsed by the COP presidency. We are carrying out this work in full alignment."
How Turkiye and Australia plan to address such critical issues that have political salience will be central to successful outcomes at COP31.
