Community climate action Turkey
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| Location | Turkey |
| Coordinates | 38° 57' 35.13" N, 34° 55' 29.88" E |
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of Turkish community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism in response to Climate emergency. Learn about how communities positively impact through different projects and collaborations.
Muslim environmentalists and academics quote the Quran in support of their environmentalism. In Istanbul in 2015, Islamic leaders urged the world's 1.6 billion Muslims to help defeat climate change.
In 2020 first lady Emine Erdoğan said that "Every wrong step we take can be a disaster for future generations". In 2019 some Turkish schoolchildren joined the School Strike for Climate.
Climate news
Paris Court Holds Historic Climate Trial in Case Against TotalEnergies, insideclimatenews.org (Feb 19, 2026) - ‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics, theguardian.com (Feb 19, 2026)
- Environmental defenders labeled ‘terrorists’ for bringing renewable power to Philippine communities, globalvoices.org/ (Feb 19, 2026)
- Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say, theguardian.com (Feb 11, 2026) — Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unaware
- The Guardian view on heavy rain: England’s flood defences are not strong enough, Editorial, theguardian.com (Feb 09, 2026) — The disruption and distress caused by record downpours must focus minds on the need for climate preparedness
- ‘To live a normal life again, it’s a dream come true’: UK’s first climate evacuees can cast off their homes and trauma, theguardian.com (Feb 09, 2026)
- These US states want polluters to pay for the rising insurance costs of climate disasters, theguardian.com (Feb 08, 2026)
- Pakistan seeks justice for environmental harm through climate litigation, globalvoices.org (Jan 11, 2026)
- World’s richest 1% have already used fair share of emissions for 2026, says Oxfam, theguardian.com (Jan 10, 2026)
International events
Mar 01, 2026 (Sun) — World Seagrass Day, Mar 1, annually. Raising awareness about seagrass and its important functions in the marine ecosystem.- Mar 20, 2026 (Fri) — World Rewilding Day, March 20, annually, rewildingeurope.com
- Apr 22, 2026 (Wed) — Earth Day, April 22, annually, earthday.org
- May 20, 2026 (Wed) — World Bee Day, May 20 each year, fao.org
- Jun 17, 2026 (Wed) — World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, each June 17, un.org
- Aug 09, 2026 (Sun) — International Day of the World's Indigenous People, observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population, un.org
- Aug 12, 2026 (Wed) — International Youth Day, awareness day designated by the United Nations taking place on Aug 12 each year, un.org
- Dec 11, 2026 (Fri) — International Mountain Day, Dec 11, annually, fao.org
Children's-rights petition and lawsuit
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg and 15 other children filed a petition in 2019 protesting lack of action on the climate crisis by Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey saying that, amongst other dangers, more deadly heat waves would affect them and other children in future. The petition challenged the five countries under the Convention on the Rights of the Child: "Comparable emissions to Turkey's rate of emissions would lead to more than 4°C of warming." If the petition is successful, the countries will be asked to respond; however, any suggestions are not legally binding. In 2020, Turkey and 32 other countries were sued at the European Court of Human Rights by a group of Portuguese children.
Media and arts
In the 1990s independent Açık Radyo (Open Radio) broadcast some of the first media coverage of climate change, and its founder Ömer Madra (in Turkish) emphasises "The three Y's in the fight on climate change: Yerel (local) Yatay (horizontal) and Yavaş (slow, no resort to violence)." İklim Haber (Climate News) also covers climate change issues in Turkish and English. Mainstream Turkish media tends to view new coal-fired power stations as increasing employment rather than causing climate change; nearly all media owners have financial interests in fossil fuels. The media covers climate change only during extreme weather events, with insufficient expert opinions or civil-society perspectives. The arts are raising awareness of climate change, and education is supported by the EU.
Public perception
Individual action on climate change is not properly understood (in a survey of primary school teachers many erroneously prioritised using less cosmetics) and neither are government choices on climate change mitigation (in the same survey only a minority correctly prioritised curbing fossil fuel use). Future warming of seawater by Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is wrongly thought by some to be relevant to climate change.
İklim Haber (Climate News) and KONDA Research and Consultancy found in 2018 that over three-quarters of public opinion on climate change thinks that extreme weather has increased. Over 70% of the public acknowledge that current climate crisis is a result of human activities. Some construction companies have been accused of greenwashing, advertising their buildings as environmentally friendly without obtaining any green building certificates.
In a 2019 E3G poll of six Belt and Road Initiative countries (including Turkey), solar was the most popular energy source and coal the least popular. Twenty-four Turkish cities committed to the Paris Agreement targets that year, and the United Nations Development Programme partnered with the Turkish Basketball Federation in 2020 to raise public awareness of the fight against climate change. A 2020 study found that the level of public support for a potential carbon tax does not depend on whether the proceeds are used for mitigation and adaptation. In 2023 a draft law was proposed including public information and adding climate change to education in Turkey. In 2024 a climate portal was created and Turkish citizens can log in to it. Similar to global public opinion most Turks favour climate action.
Citzens data initiative
Although a number of issues raised in greenhouse gas inventory reviews have been resolved, dozens more have been outstanding for over three years. Space-based measurements of carbon dioxide are expected to allow public monitoring of the megacity of Istanbul and high emitting power plants in the early-2020s.
Climate change in Turkey
Turkey's annual and maximum temperatures are rising, and 2020 was the third hottest year on record. Turkey will be greatly affected by climate change, and is already experiencing more extreme weather, with droughtsand heatwaves being the main hazards. Current greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey are about 1% of the global total, and energy policy includes heavily subsidizing coal in Turkey. The Environment Ministry co-ordinates adaptation to climate change, and adaptation has been planned for water resources by river basin, and for agriculture.
Greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey
Heatwaves and droughts in Turkey are the main hazards due to its climate getting hotter. The temperature has risen by more than 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), exceeding 50 °C (122 °F) in 2025, and there is more extreme weather. The geography effects vary in different parts of the country. Water supply to some cities is threatened.
Current greenhouse gas emissions are over 1% of the global total, and energy policy includes subsidizing both fossil gas and coal. Annual per person emissions since the late-2010s have varied around six and a half tonnes, which is about the global average. However historical emissions are less than 1% of the global total.
The Directorate of Climate Change co-ordinates adaptation to climate change, which has been planned for water resources by river basin, and for agriculture. Climate change was recently added to school education. An emission trading system is part of a climate law, but the law has been criticised for omitting coal phase-out. Turkey will host the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
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| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Phil Green (2021–2026). "Community climate action Turkey". Appropedia. Retrieved February 26, 2026. |