Turkey balks at coal phaseout amid growing energy woes

Turkey remains without a plan to phase out coal power after its first Climate Council ended in disappointment for clean energy advocates, casting doubts on Ankara's pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2053 amid growing energy woes plaguing the country's economy.

Turkey ratified the Paris climate agreement in October, becoming the last G-20 country to do so after five years of foot-dragging in protest of its classification as a developed country without access to financial support for climate action. The deadlock was resolved after a French-German guarantee of $3.2 billion in loans for Turkey's energy transition.

Consequently, Turkey's Ministry of Environment and Urbanization was rebranded to add "climate change” to its name, and Ankara committed to a net zero target for carbon emissions by 2053. Those moves, however, had more form than substance, lacking measurable medium-term goals. The country's first Climate Council was meant to change that.

The gathering, held in late February in the central city of Konya, coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has stoked energy prices and rekindled concerns over energy security in European countries that rely heavily on Russian gas, as does Turkey. Some fear the crisis could lead world leaders to slacken climate action, but many others hope it would actually accelerate the green transition. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for instance, has emphasized the need to "massively invest in renewables,” calling it "a strategic investment in [the European Union's] energy independence.”