Türkiye aims to make Antalya global capital of climate action, says minister

ANTALYA

AA photo.

Türkiye aims to make Antalya a global capital for climate action during its COP31 presidency, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum said on Nov. 13.

Speaking at the “COP31 Türkiye Platform Announcement and Signing Ceremony with International Organizations” at the Zero Waste Museum in the COP31 area, Kurum said cities are among the places where the effects of climate change are most visible.

He said water security, energy, transportation, wastewater management, infrastructure, disaster risk and rapid urbanization have become interconnected elements of cities’ future planning. Türkiye therefore places resilient cities at the center of its development policies, he added.

Kurum announced the Türkiye Resilient Cities Country Platform under the Sustainable Urban Resilience Financing Facility. The platform will be coordinated by İLBANK and developed with support from the World Bank and U.N.-Habitat, alongside contributions from international stakeholders.

As part of the Green and Future Cities Project, a 191 million euro subsidiary loan agreement was signed with the World Bank. The project aims to restore approximately 1.2 billion liters of water annually to Lake Meke in Konya, an amount equivalent to around 480 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

At Lake Beyşehir, wastewater generated by approximately 5,000 households will be treated, allowing 712 million liters of water to be safely returned to nature each year.

Under a Water Security and Efficiency Project worth approximately 700 million euros, Türkiye and the World Bank plan to reduce losses from drinking water networks and improve investments in sewerage, stormwater systems and wastewater treatment.

Kurum said a cooperation model developed with the International Finance Corporation would create new opportunities for municipalities to access international financing. The IFC will provide direct financing to municipalities, while İLBANK will contribute through guarantee and technical support mechanisms.

Cooperation with the European Investment Bank under the City Climate Finance Gap Fund will also strengthen İLBANK’s capacity to prepare and evaluate climate-friendly urban infrastructure investments and secure financing for them.

Kurum also announced a 150 million euro Renewable Energy Project with the Asian Development Bank. Under the project, solar and wind power plants with a combined capacity of 186 megawatts are planned for Hatay, Malatya, Istanbul’s Bağcılar district, Tokat, Trabzon, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep and Mardin.

The investments are expected to generate approximately 320 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, prevent 120,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and produce energy equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 150,000 households. Their environmental benefit is projected to equal approximately 6 million trees, while saving nearly 800 million liters of water.

Kurum emphasized that statistics only hold value when they translate into tangible benefits for both humanity and the environment. Comparing the planned water transfer to Meke Lake to giving a struggling ecosystem a chance to breathe again, he noted that every drop of water saved strengthens future resilience against drought.

He said Türkiye attaches importance to strengthening its longstanding urban development experience through international partnerships and sharing the models created for cities with other countries.

“Our ambition as the COP31 Presidency is to produce cooperation in Antalya that is transformed into implementation, financed projects and results that reach people’s lives. It is to make Antalya the global capital of climate action,” Kurum said. He added that the Türkiye Resilient Cities Country Platform would become a strong and lasting example of this approach.