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Turkey has been grappling with a deepening climate crisis, characterised by extreme heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and devastating wildfires.
In the two years leading up to 2025, Turkey has made significant strides in renewable energy, particularly in solar power. This renewable generation helped Turkey avoid an estimated $15 billion in natural gas imports over the past two and a half years.[1]
Despite these achievements, significant problems remain in Turkey's energy transition. While renewable energy investments have increased rapidly, this growth has often come at the expense of local communities. Local resistance movements against hydro, wind, and geothermal projects have increased due to the neglect of meaningful community participation in decision-making processes.
Critics also point to the absence of a credible roadmap for net-zero by 2053, with Turkey's current NDC allowing emissions to increase through 2038.[2]
Nuclear Energy remains a central part of Turkey's energy strategy. The country is advancing with its first nuclear power plant at Akkuyu in Mersin province. Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, has called nuclear energy an "indispensable technology" for Turkey[3].
However, current economic challenges make nuclear goals appear impractical and risk diverting focus from expanding renewable energy. A major issue is the limited local ownership in the renewable transition. Without careful planning, this shift might repeat past exclusion and inequality seen during the fossil fuel era, benefiting profits while communities face challenges.
The recent plan to turn old coal mining sites into solar farms is promising, but success depends on genuinely benefiting the public and involving communities, not just private interests[4].
Engaging communities and sharing benefits fairly are crucial for building trust and achieving a just energy transition. Still, the Climate Law has been criticised for lacking sufficient, timely, and meaningful involvement of civil society in the decision-making of climate efforts.[5]
Turkey will host the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya from November 9 to 20, 2026. The COP31 Presidency has outlined global goals for electrification, zero waste, and resilient cities, framing the event as an "Implementation COP".
Videos
Ms Nergis
In this video, we are with Ms. Nergis, the head of Mehmetalan Village in Edremit. Mehmetalan is known as a “Tahtacı” village, home to Alevi Turkmen who work with wood. The bond they share with nature is deeply intertwined with their ancestral traditions. The village sits in the Kaz Mountains, a region often in the spotlight for environmental struggles against mining activities.Famous for its water, the streams of Kaz Mountains are said, by some accounts, to reach all the way to the Greek island of Lesbos. Here in Mehmetalan, the community is actively resisting the construction of wind turbines which also posed a threat to nature. We conducted our interview with Ms. Nergis by the river she led us to, a place she cherished from her childhood—where she grew up deeply connected to nature. The river’s water has diminished greatly since her youth, and unregulated tourism has left serious scars on the landscape. Yet the resistance continues. Through her persistent fight, Ms. Nergis has earned the deep respect of her village and was chosen as their head. She warns us with the village’s timeless wisdom: “The way you treat nature is the way it will treat you.” This video is presented in Turkish. Please use the video settings option to choose captions in English, Greek or Italian.
References
[1] Turkey Emerges as a regional leader in renewable energy expansion (oilprice.com)
[2] OECD Economic Surveys: Türkiye 2025: 3.2. Pricing carbon to signal the need for a green transformation (oecd.org)
[3] Nuclear energy 'indispensable technology' for Türkiye, IEA chief says (aa.com.tr)
[4] Turning old coal mines into solar fields: A chance for people and the planet (beyondfossilfuels.org)
[5] Historic Turkish climate law is a “far from ideal, but still significant” step (client earth.org)