Within the scope of the EU Partnership for Local Climate Action in Türkiye Project, an online media day titled “The Climate Law and Its Importance for Türkiye” was held on 15 October 2025.
The event brought together representatives from national and local media outlets, public institutions, academia, pilot municipalities, and project partners. The meeting aimed to provide accurate information about the Climate Law No. 7552, which was published in the Official Gazette on 9 July 2025 and represents a major step in Türkiye’s efforts to combat climate change. It also offered media representatives the opportunity to directly address their questions about the law to experts.
The opening remarks were delivered by Esra İnce, City Planner and Branch Manager representing the Directorate of Climate Change. Following her, Ali Cem Deniz, Project Manager representing UNDP Türkiye, thanked the participants and spoke about the project’s objectives. In his presentation, he outlined the overall framework of the EU Partnership for Local Climate Action in Türkiye Project and emphasized that the activities to be carried out in six pilot provinces would provide valuable experiences contributing to the implementation of the Climate Law. The event continued with sessions moderated by Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban, Urban Climate Change Key Expert from UNDP Türkiye, where the legal, institutional, and financial dimensions of the Climate Law were discussed.
In the first session, Ufuk Doğukan Aksoy, Legal Counsel from the Directorate of Climate Change, provided a comprehensive overview of the Climate Law’s legal framework and its obligations. Following the presentation, Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban shared his reflections on the implementation of the law at the local level, emphasizing the responsibilities of public institutions and local administrations, the structure and functioning of Provincial Climate Change Coordination Boards, and the importance of transparency and monitoring mechanisms. He also addressed how climate action can be integrated into institutional frameworks and local governance.
In the next session, Okan Uğurlu, Climate Change Expert from the Carbon Pricing Department of the Directorate of Climate Change, presented Türkiye’s preparations for the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and shared insights on carbon pricing mechanisms. The presentation covered the role of voluntary carbon markets and the potential implementation of economic instruments introduced by the Climate Law, while also discussing the possible impacts and opportunities of carbon pricing policies for the private sector and local governments.
In the final session, Mürsel Akbulut, Head of the Climate Finance and Incentives Department of the Directorate of Climate Change, shared ongoing work on green finance and incentive mechanisms. His presentation addressed the use of financial resources introduced by the Climate Law, the development of the Türkiye Green Taxonomy, and efforts to direct private sector investments. Examples were also provided on strengthening climate finance instruments, developing national green investment strategies, and enabling local governments to benefit from these mechanisms.
The programme concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where media representatives’ questions were answered. Participants gained detailed insights into the obligations introduced by the Climate Law, its local implementation, and financing mechanisms, and had the opportunity to exchange views directly with experts.
This media day was organized as part of the capacity-building activities of the EU Partnership for Local Climate Action in Türkiye Project, aiming to strengthen media representatives’ understanding of climate policies and legislation. The project will continue this information-sharing series with future media day events to be held on different themes in the coming period.
Click here to watch the full recording of the event.