Türkiye’s first comprehensive Climate Law Proposal was submitted to Parliament on 20 February 2025 and was swiftly adopted by the Environment Committee on 27 February.
In November 2024, Türkiye submitted its latest National Inventory Document (NID) to the UNFCCC, covering the period from 1990 to 2022. Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, excluding the land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector, reached 558.3 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (Mt CO₂eq) in 2022. The energy sector remained the largest contributor, accounting for 71.8% of total emissions, followed by agriculture (12.8%), industrial processes and product use (IPPU) (12.5%), and waste (2.9%).
Long-term trends indicate a steady increase in emissions across all sectors, except for LULUCF, which declined by 15.6% between 1990 and 2022. During the same period, emissions from energy increased by 180%, IPPU by 208%, waste by 58%, and agriculture by 38%—primarily driven by population growth, economic development, and growing energy demand.
In the short term, between 2021 and 2022, emissions trends varied. LULUCF and waste emissions rose by 17.2% and 5.5%, respectively, while emissions from energy, IPPU, and agriculture fell by 1.4%, 6.4%, and 5.1%. Within the energy sector, reductions were observed in energy industries (–2.1%) and in manufacturing and construction (–4.5%), while transport and fugitive emissions from fuels saw modest increases of 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.
Türkiye’s first comprehensive Climate Law Proposal was submitted to Parliament on 20 February 2025 and was swiftly adopted by the Environment Committee on 27 February. After the first four articles were approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s General Assembly and further refinements were made in the parliamentary commission, the law was passed on July 2nd, 2025. The law sets a legal foundation for achieving net-zero emissions by 2053 and introduces several core mechanisms to guide national climate action. These include the establishment of a national Emissions Trading System (ETS) managed by a newly formed Carbon Market Board; mandatory greenhouse gas monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) obligations backed by enforcement measures; the development of a Türkiye Green Taxonomy to steer sustainable finance; and the integration of climate action into local governance through provincial coordination councils.
While environmental groups criticized the law for lacking interim GHG reduction targets and a fossil fuel phase-out, and relying heavily on market mechanisms like the ETS, its passage is widely seen as a historic step forward. This legislation provides Türkiye with an institutional framework for climate governance. However, its real-world impact will depend on the forthcoming secondary regulations, mechanisms to phase out fossil fuels, and robust enforcement.
In 2024, renewable energy accounted for a significant share of Türkiye’s electricity mix. Coal and natural gas remained dominant with shares of 35.2% and 18.9% respectively, but renewables collectively made up over 45% of electricity generation—hydropower (21.5%), wind (10.5%), solar (7.5%), geothermal (3.2%), and other sources (3.2%). Notably, renewable energy represented 59.3% of Türkiye’s total electricity generation capacity in 2024, significantly surpassing the global average of 46.4%.
Türkiye increased its installed renewable energy capacity by 40.8% between 2020 and 2024, positioning itself among the world’s leading countries in clean energy expansion. During this period, solar capacity increased by 198.2%, wind capacity by 46.8%, biomass capacity by 82.8%, geothermal capacity by 7.5%, and hydropower capacity by 4.5%. This upward trend demonstrates Türkiye’s strong momentum in diversifying its energy sources and reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.
Looking ahead, Türkiye has set a target to increase the share of renewables in electricity generation to 60% by 2035. Achieving this goal will require an estimated $108 billion in public and private investment, primarily to support the planned fourfold expansion of wind and solar capacity to a combined 120,000 MW. Continued regulatory support and streamlined permitting will be critical to unlocking this investment and sustaining growth in the sector.
Report Card Country Rating (based on your answers to the three questions above and any other relevant information), please rate your country according to the criteria below and describe the reasons for your rating.
B Moving forward
Türkiye’s latest data confirms a continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions, despite recent advancements in renewable energy capacity. Türkiye has also taken important institutional steps forward with the enactment of its first Climate Law in July 2025, which establishes a framework for a national Emissions Trading System (ETS), mandatory emissions monitoring, and a green taxonomy to guide sustainable finance. While these developments signal a growing commitment and provide a stronger policy foundation for future action, their effectiveness in delivering measurable emission reductions has yet to be realized.
References:
- The Sustainable Development Report (formerly the SDG Index & Dashboards) – https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/downloads
- TURKISH GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY 1990 – 2022, National Inventory Document for submission under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Turkish Statistical Institute, November 2024.
- https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/turkey
- https://www.trthaber.com/haber/ekonomi/turkiye-yenilenebilir-enerji-payinda-dunya-ortalamasini-gecti-902462.html
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Country Manager Türkiye, İpek Taşgın.