COP31 and Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy: Zero Waste and the Road to Antalya

Why It Matters

What does Türkiye want from COP31? Officially, Ankara wants to use the summit in Antalya to place its Zero Waste initiative, its net-zero-by-2053 goal and its demand for fairer climate finance at the centre of global climate diplomacy. COP31 is the first UN climate conference hosted by Türkiye, a G20 economy that ratified the Paris Agreement only in 2021 and still relies heavily on coal. The summit therefore tests both its diplomatic ambitions and its domestic climate record.

This article covers only what can be verified from official or widely reported sources. Where the final shape of the COP31 arrangement or its agenda is not settled, it says so.

Background

How Türkiye came to host COP31

Türkiye put itself forward to host a UN climate conference in Antalya, and its bid competed with Australia's for COP31. Under the UNFCCC's regional rotation, COP31 falls to the Western European and Others Group, so the dispute had to be settled within that group. Around COP30 in Belém (November 2025), the two countries reached a compromise that was widely reported:

• Türkiye hosts the conference in Antalya, scheduled for November 2026.
• Türkiye's Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, is the designated COP31 President.
• Australia takes a leading role in the negotiation process, with a pre-COP meeting reported to be planned in the Pacific region.

The formal decision text and the precise division of responsibilities should be read on the UNFCCC website (unfccc.int). Several operational details, including the final agenda and the exact scope of Australia's role, were still developing at the time of writing and are not asserted here.

Türkiye's climate framework in brief

Note that the NDC target is measured against a projected baseline, not against a historic base year. This is a common source of disagreement between Ankara and outside analysts.

Zero Waste and its UN recognition

The Zero Waste initiative began as a national programme to cut waste, expand recycling and reduce landfill. It grew into an international campaign. In 2020 the UN Secretary-General set up a Zero Waste Advisory Board, and in December 2022 the General Assembly adopted resolution 77/161, which Türkiye led with other member states. It designated 30 March as the International Day of Zero Waste, first observed in 2023, with UNEP and UN-Habitat facilitating implementation. This is a verifiable UN decision, not only a national claim.

Key Players & Positions

Türkiye presents itself as a bridge between developed and developing countries. Its Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Presidency's Climate Change Directorate lead policy and COP31 preparation.

Australia, according to the Australian government's public statements, sees its role as ensuring the negotiation process is ambitious and that Pacific island concerns are heard. Its leading minister for the process is Chris Bowen.

The UNFCCC Secretariat and the COP30 Presidency (Brazil) hold the formal process. The Secretariat publishes host-country agreements and decisions.

Small island states and the EU generally press for faster fossil-fuel phase-down and stronger finance and adaptation outcomes. Their expectations for COP31 centre on implementation of previous outcomes and new NDCs.

Critical views of Türkiye's climate record

Critical assessments deserve fair statement:

• Climate Action Tracker, an independent analysis by research groups, has rated Türkiye's overall climate action "critically insufficient", arguing that its 2030 target allows emissions to keep rising and that coal expansion is inconsistent with 1.5°C pathways.
• Environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Turkish NGOs have criticised coal power, the pace of fossil-fuel phase-out, and, in earlier years, imports of plastic scrap from Europe, which Ankara has progressively restricted since 2021.
• Analysts question whether a Zero Waste narrative can offset energy-sector emissions, since waste is only one part of a national inventory.

These are assessments by independent bodies and should be read as such. Türkiye disputes parts of them, as the next section explains.

Source Comparison

Readers should consult the primary documents: UNFCCC decisions, Türkiye's NDC in the NDC registry, UN document A/RES/77/161, and the Turkish Official Gazette for the Climate Law. Editorial method is set out in Editorial Principles: How Polityreview Separates Fact from Position.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• COP (Conference of the Parties): the UNFCCC's annual decision-making meeting.
• NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution): a country's climate pledge under the Paris Agreement.
• Business-as-usual (BAU) baseline: a projected emissions path without new policy; targets set against it can still allow absolute emissions to rise.
• Zero Waste: a waste-prevention and resource-efficiency approach, recognised annually on 30 March.
• Middle Corridor: the Trans-Caspian trade and transport route linking Asia and Europe via the Caucasus and Türkiye.
• Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's doctrine on its maritime jurisdiction areas in the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean.

Related guides:

• Blue Homeland and the Eastern Mediterranean: A Guide to Maritime Jurisdiction
• The 2019 Türkiye–Libya Maritime Memorandum: What It Says and Why It Matters
• Türkiye's Marine Spatial Planning and the 2025 IOC-UNESCO Registration
• Montreux Convention, the Black Sea and Türkiye's Role in the Russia–Ukraine War
• About Polityreview: Mission, Transparency and Editorial Team

Polityreview presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.

Published by the Polityreview Editorial Team.

Cross-Publication Dossiers & Sister Desk Perspectives

For complementary primary-source analysis across our specialist editorial network, consult:

• The State Papers: COP31 and Climate Diplomacy: Türkiye's Zero Waste Initiative and Hosting Role — How Türkiye's COP31 hosting role, Zero Waste initiative and 2053 net-zero target fit together: verified facts, stakeholder views and Ankara's stated policy.
• Interstate Journal: COP31 in Antalya: Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy and the Zero Waste Initiative — COP31 Antalya Türkiye climate diplomacy explained: why Antalya, how the presidency is shared with Australia, net-zero 2053, and the Zero Waste initiative.
• Region Scope: COP31 and Zero Waste: Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy Explained — COP31 Türkiye climate diplomacy explained: hosting arrangements, the UN-recognized Zero Waste initiative, Paris targets and other parties' views.