Faster, stronger action needed to tackle earth's biggest enviconmental challenges: Turkiye

The most pressing issues facing the globe are interconnected challenges that must be tackled with faster, stronger action, said Türkiye’s environment, urbanization, and climate change minister on Wednesday.

“Climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are not separate problems,” said Murat Kurum, who also serves as president of this year’s UN climate change conference, known as COP31, hosted by Turkiye.

“Forest fires occurring in different parts of the world today, more than 1 million species facing the threat of extinction, and up to 40% of the world’s land being degraded send us a very clear message. We need to take faster and stronger steps,” said Kurum in a video message sent to the current COP17 UN conference against desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Kurum highlighted Türkiye’s efforts to combat desertification and land degradation and outlined the priorities of its COP31 presidency, with Antalya, Türkiye, set to host the meeting this Nov. 9-20.

Telling how in 2015 the Turkish capital Ankara hosted COP12, Kurum said the country had contributed to efforts to incorporate the goal of achieving a land degradation-neutral world by 2030 into the process.

He said Türkiye subsequently launched the Ankara Initiative, supporting developing countries in setting and implementing their targets, adding that he was pleased that more than 100 countries have now achieved those goals.

3 principles: Dialogue, consensus, and action

Kurum stressed the importance of cooperation among the Rio Conventions – the landmark international environmental treaties from the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro – saying Türkiye had taken an important step in this area by signing the Rio Synergy Protocol.

“This approach is also one of the fundamental principles of our COP31 presidency,” he said, adding that Türkiye views the climate change conference process as a comprehensive effort bringing together political leadership, multilateral negotiations, and implementation.

Kurum said Türkiye’s COP31 presidency is built around three principles: dialogue, consensus, and action.

“We will bring countries together around the same table through dialogue. We will strengthen our common will through consensus. Through action, we will turn this will into concrete results. We now want action, not words,” he said.

He said the COP31 Action Agenda has identified several priority areas: clean energy transition, zero waste and the circular economy, climate-resilient cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, green industrialization, and Rio synergies.

Kurum also highlighted COP31’s 2035 implementation targets, saying Türkiye aims to help climate finance reach projects on the ground more quickly and effectively through the Climate Implementation Bridge.