Parliament to host talks for country’s first climate law

ANKARA

Turkish lawmakers will start deliberating on Türkiye's inaugural climate law this week, with the parliament looking forward to the Indonesian president's address during his forthcoming visit.

The proposed "Code Law" introduces the first fundamental regulation in the field of climate change, targeting a "net-zero emissions" goal by 2053 for Türkiye.

According to the proposal, a provincial climate change coordination council will be established in each province under the leadership of the governor.

Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced in line with the Nationally Determined Contributions, the net-zero emissions target, and the strategies and action plans of the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry.

The ministry will prepare national, sectoral and thematic reports, develop incentive mechanisms and establish Türkiye’s Green Taxonomy. A Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism could be introduced to address the embedded greenhouse gas emissions in imported goods.

Penalties will be imposed for actions related to substances depleting the ozone layer: Companies involved in the import, trade, or sale of such substances will face fines of up to 2.5 million Turkish Liras ($66,400), while those failing to comply with labeling requirements for products or equipment containing these substances will be fined 120,000 liras.

Businesses lacking verified annual emissions reports will be subject to fines ranging from 1 million to 10 million liras.

Another significant agenda of the parliament is the official visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who will address lawmakers in the general assembly on April 10.

Parliamentary research committees will hear from academics from Istanbul and Sakarya Universities regarding the January fire at a ski resort in the northwestern province of Bolu.

They will also gather information from experts involved in the investigation of the blaze.

The devastating fire at Kartalkaya, a prominent winter tourism destination, killed 78 people, more than half of whom were children. The widespread neglect at the hotel sparked outrage in the country for weeks.

In the Artificial Intelligence Research Commission, officials from the Justice Ministry and academics will brief lawmakers on developments in the field.