Turkey Should Reduce Emissions by 35% by 2030

Non-governmental organizations working on climate announced that Turkey, which is expected to update its greenhouse gas emission reduction target before COP27, should aim for at least 35% absolute emission reduction in 2030 compared to 2020 to reach the net zero target in 2053. It means that Turkey, which announced that it will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero level for 2053, has reduced its emissions from 523.9 MtCO2e (million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2020 to 340 MtCO2e. In the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, Turkey had set a target of at least 21% emission reductions by 2030 compared to the current policy scenario. This calculation was made with the goal of a reduction from the increase, not an absolute reduction. Thus, Turkey announced that while its current emissions are 430 MtCO2, it calculates that if no action is taken by 2030, its emissions will increase to 1,175 MtCO2e and that it aims to limit it to 929 MtCO2e with climate actions. Although this target is called the “reduction target,” emissions will double by 2030, even in line with the reduction target, as the numbers show.