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 preparation. Turkey`s emissions will increase significantly under current policies, but the country is still expected to exceed its “extremely inadequate” – but not yet ratified – target proposed by the Paris Agreement (INDC). This INDC is so low that it doubles greenhouse gas emissions from current levels, even taking into account the impact of COVID-19. Under the agreement, countries should define measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to their economic situation. Although Turkey signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, it refrained from ratifying it for five years. He finally did so in October. 6, 2021, when 353 members of the Turkish parliament voted unanimously in favor, 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. Turkey remains the only G20 country that has not ratified the Paris Agreement.

Excluding LULUCF emissions, the INDC target represents a 90% increase over 2018 levels (the last historical year included in our analysis). Earlier, Ankara said the reason it did not sign the agreement was an unfair classification. Turkey has been classified as an Annex I country – a “developed” or “industrialized” country – which has prevented it from seeking funding, as opposed to countries classified as “developing countries”. After requesting the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to remove its name from this list, it expects its ranking to be completed at the next Summit in Glasgow. Turkey has been a signatory to the Paris Agreement since April 2016. But Ankara had not ratified the deal, arguing that it should not be considered a developed country under the deal, giving it more responsibility since Turkey is historically responsible for a very small share of carbon emissions. Although Turkey was one of the first countries to sign the agreement in April 2016, it had so far refused ratification while trying to be classified as a developing country rather than an industrialized country. This would mean that it would not face such strict emission reduction targets and would receive financial support. The agreement was initially adopted by 196 parties at COP21 in Paris in December 2015.

Also known as the Paris Agreement or Paris Climate Agreement, it entered into force in November 2016. The goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. As the last Group of 20 (G20) country to do so, Turkey had not ratified the landmark agreement for five years, arguing that it should not be considered a developed country. Turkey`s parliament ratified the Paris Agreement on Wednesday, more than five years after the treaty was signed. 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 required all countries, developed and developing countries, to address 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). It is working on an increasingly ambitious five-year climate action cycle and, by 2024, countries must transparently report on actions to be taken. The dispute over Turkey`s status is why it officially supported the deal. Despite signing the Climate Convention as a developed country, the government has repeatedly argued that it is a developing country and should therefore have access to climate finance – a status privilege.

The Turkish parliament ratified the Paris Agreement more than five years after Ankara first signed the agreement. The move comes in time for the UN Climate Change Conference next month in Glasgow. Apart from the Energy Efficiency Action Plan and renewable energy auctions, Turkey has made little progress in implementing climate action and, most importantly, has yet to ratify the Paris Agreement. In September 2019, ahead of the UN climate summit, Turkey reviewed the financial package proposed by Germany and France, with the support of the United Nations and the World Bank, which aimed to address Turkey`s concerns in the context of ratifying the agreement, but so far to have no results. The government seems to stand still in developing measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions: its projections of the 7th National Communication (NC7) in 2018 have projections identical to those of the previous version (CL6) as well as the BAU INDC 2015, while the 4th biennial update report, published at the end of 2019, also forecasts almost identical emissions for 2030. However, CL7 describes in more detail the guidelines contained in CL6. Turkey`s ratification means that only five countries have yet to ratify the deal – Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Libya and Yemen. 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.

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.” If Turkey is removed from the list of countries in Annex I, it could benefit from the investments, insurance and technology transfers that can be provided under the Agreement. The main reason Turkey refused to ratify the deal was Ankara`s belief that Turkey should not be considered a “developed” country within the meaning of the rules of the Paris Agreement – with all the additional obligations that this entails – as this would only mean more pressure and a heavier burden on its already struggling economy. However, Turkey has chosen 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. Therefore, classifying it as a developing country would allow Turkey to take less responsibility when it comes to strengthening its emissions reduction targets for 2030 and mid-century. It would also give Turkey more time and a slower path to reducing emissions. This, in turn, could also suggest that Turkey`s net-zero target for 2053 is unrealistic. On Wednesday, 353 members of the Turkish parliament unanimously ratified the agreement.

But after “the recent progress made under the [Paris] Agreement,” Turkey will ratify the agreement “in accordance with the positive steps that are being taken,” he told the assembly. Turkey also announced its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2053. But signing the agreement is not enough. According to Climate Action Tracker, the country`s efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement are “extremely insufficient”. 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. ISTANBUL, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Turkey`s parliament ratified the Paris Climate Agreement on Wednesday, making it the latest G20 country to do so after holding back for years over what it sees as injustices in its responsibility under the agreement. Turkey ratified the Paris Climate Agreement on Wednesday, joining the global fight against climate change weeks before the start of a crucial summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Turkey`s carbon emissions have increased over the past decade, with an average economic growth of 6.41% from 2010 to 2018. Turkey`s economy remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, especially imported oil and gas.

According to the International Energy Agency, most of Turkey`s total energy supply comes from coal, natural gas and oil, with less reliance on renewable energy. But the issue of Turkey`s status is still unresolved. At Cop26, Turkey is expected to try to convince other countries to support the categorization change. “Finding support for this is still very unlikely,” the source said. . Although there was a successful tendering process in 2017 (1 GW of solar and 1 GW of wind power), the 1.2 GW offshore wind auction initially announced for June 2018 and postponed to 2019 has not yet taken place. This was followed by the cancellation of the second YEKA solar PV auction, originally scheduled for January 2019. The last auction was awarded in May 2019 for a 1 GW onshore wind tender to the Enercon-Enerjisa consortium (Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, 2019). . Climate-fueled wildfires have devastated parts of Turkey this summer Although Turkey was among the first countries to sign the 2016 Paris Agreement, it refused to be ratified because it sought to be classified as a developing country rather than an industrialized country in order to avoid stricter emission reduction targets and receive financial support.

It was among six countries that include Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Libya and Yemen that have not ratified it. .