Addressing the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, President Erdoğan said: “Climate change and environmental problems are common issues of humanity. Therefore, the answers to them should be a product of global solidarity. No one can remain indifferent to these problems in an equation in which we experience climate change’s destructive impacts every day.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed via videoconference the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate.
Greeting heads of state and government participating in the forum, President Erdoğan thanked US President Joe Biden for organizing this meaningful event.
Describing climate change and environmental problems as common issues of humanity, President Erdoğan stressed that answers to these problems should therefore be a product of global solidarity.
“WE HAVE DECLARED OUR ZERO EMISSION TARGET FOR 2053”
Noting that in an equation in which the destructive impacts of climate change are experienced every day no one can remain indifferent to these problems, President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye, which sees the fight against climate change and environmental problems as one of the top priority items, has accordingly declared its zero emission target for 2053 and the green development revolution.
Drawing attention to the important commitments Türkiye made about steel production, zero-emission vehicles, motorway transport as well as loss of forest areas and reversal of soil degradation during the 26th Conference of the Parties, President Erdoğan said: “We held the Climate Forum with the participation of all national and international stakeholders with the aim of reinforcing Türkiye’s policies and sectoral strategies in the fight against climate change. We are updating our national contribution declaration. We will announce by the year end our long-term climate strategy and action plan which will shape our roadmap.”
President Erdoğan pointed out that Türkiye, one of the world’s leading countries in the fight against desertification and erosion, has ratified the Green Action Plan in line with the European Green Deal, increased the number of green ports and expanded forest and conserved areas.
“WE DETERMINEDLY CONTINUE OUR GREEN HYDROGEN WORKS”
Stressing that Türkiye does its part on the reduction of transport-related emission and fertilizer management as well, President Erdoğan stated: “By the end of this year, we will take Türkiye’s first electric car TOGG off production line and put it into service. We promote sustainable and climate-friendly modes of transport. We have made great progress in environmental protection, recycling and emission reduction with the ‘Zero Waste’ movement, which has been implemented under the auspices of my wife Emine Erdoğan and which is appreciated by the UN and many global organizations. We conduct our green growth technology roadmap studies with the awareness of the importance of technology and groundbreaking R&D. We also determinedly continue our green hydrogen works. Financing and technology transfer stand out as the key elements of this process. The biggest responsibility on this issue falls definitely on the countries that have a share in bringing the problem up to this point for centuries.”
Underlining the importance of renewable energy in the fight against climate change, President Erdoğan said: “Türkiye ranks 12th in the world and 5th in Europe in installed renewable power. In Europe, we rank first in installed geothermal power and second in installed hydroelectric power plant. 100 million tons per year of additional greenhouse emission has been avoided with the improvements we have made in energy.”
President Erdoğan noted that the war in Ukraine has once again demonstrated the importance of energy security.
Underscoring that energy efficiency, transition to clean energy and energy transformation are the indispensable parts of energy security, President Erdoğan stated: “Türkiye has already been taking a position with this understanding for a long time. In this regard, we have ensured that renewable energy plants constitute 54% of our installed electric power. 97% of the 3.5 gigawatt-capacity plants we have built in 2021 are renewable energy plants.”
President Erdoğan concluded his remarks by adding that Türkiye stands ready for solidarity and cooperation with all the partners in clean energy transformation and the fight against climate change.