“The most important step is to accelerate the transition to clean energy.”

The IEA High Level Energy Transition Dialogue Meeting takes place at the IEA (International Energy Agency) headquarters in Paris, the capital of France.

The meeting was attended by the Ministerial Institution, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Fatma Varank, IEA President Fatih Birol, COP21 President and COP Presidential Advisory Group President Laurent Fabius, as well as many senior officials from more than 50 countries.

In his speech at the opening of the meeting, Minister Kurum thanked the organizers of the meeting and the high-level representatives present and said: “I am very pleased to meet you in Paris, hosted by the International Energy Agency.” he said.

The authority noted that it had held its first high-level meeting with the IEA as the COP31 Presidency and said it would discuss future steps at that meeting.

“We are entering the second decade of the Paris Agreement.” Kurum said that commitments were made and institutions formed in the first ten years of the agreement and that the focus would be on their implementation in the second ten years.

“The global economy must change the energy paradigm”

Minister Kurum said: “Today we are facing the biggest energy crisis in the history of the world and together we must turn this situation into an opportunity.” he said.

Kurum explained that the global energy crisis has put energy dependence and security on the agenda, saying that all crises in this area show “the importance of science-led energy planning.”

Therefore, Kurum emphasized that one of the main themes of COP31 is science and technology, saying: “The global economy must change the energy paradigm. This is an obligation, not a choice. The most important step is to accelerate the transition to clean energy.” he said.

The agency called for cooperation in this transition to protect both energy security and the well-being of countries, noting that electrification and digitalization are the key game changers in this transition.

“We have tripled our renewable energy production in the last ten years”

Stressing that Türkiye is resolutely continuing its energy journey under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kurum made the following statements:

“We have tripled our renewable energy production in the last decade. We have invested more than $10 billion in energy efficiency and are ahead of EU (European Union) member countries in terms of storage capacity.” he said.

Minister Kurum said: “We have taken and will continue to take concrete steps to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel imports and protect our citizens from the vulnerabilities caused by these global market fluctuations. In today's crisis, Turkey continues to provide all kinds of services as a safe haven to its citizens and the region; it continues to be the address of peace and trust.” he said.

The institution stressed that as COP31 Presidency, its priority is to build trust in multilateralism and respect the sovereign rights and national conditions of countries, noting that “the ability to address problems and opportunities through open dialogue is a priority for it.”

The institution stressed that the IEA, chaired by Fatih Birol, has taken important steps in this area, saying: “In this context, we are pleased to announce at this meeting our strategic partnership with our International Energy Agency.” he said.

In this regard, the authority explained that it had specifically included issues prioritizing energy supply security and demand in the COP 31 action agenda, saying: “Our focus on the supply side is on accelerating the transition to clean energy.” he said.

Minister Kurum explained that on the energy demand side, the priorities are green industrialization and circular economy, including non-governmental institutions, zero waste and resilient cities.

The institution said: “I want you to know this clearly. Under the heading 'Clean Energy Transition' of our action agenda, we are focused on achieving results on the ground in areas such as renewable energy, new architecture of the electricity system, popularization of electrification and energy efficiency.” he said.

In this context, Kurum highlighted the importance of clean cooking, recalling that more than 2.3 billion people in the world use traditional stoves that use solid fuel.

The agency noted that one of the key pillars of its partnership with the IEA will be clean cooking solutions and pledged to put the issue at the center of the global agenda.

Stating that another theme of the COP31 action agenda is zero waste, Kurum said: “The zero waste movement, which has become a global brand under the leadership of the esteemed Dame Emine Erdoğan, provides a strong foundation for practices in this area.” he said.

The institution emphasized that this movement is not only about recycling waste, but also plays a very important role in terms of efficiency and emission reduction.

Kurum explained that they expected the IEA to work on the impact of waste recycling on climate change as one of the first outcomes of their partnership, and continued:

“Our agency (IEA) initiated this study and according to its results it will occupy an important place on the COP31 action agenda. And if we look at it from the perspective of green industrialization, it is of great importance to scale new technologies and establish a stronger policy and investment dialogue between the public and private sectors.”

“From Türkiye’s perspective, cities are also a strong application area.”

The institution explained that the integration of renewable energy and the management of critical minerals are the building blocks of this transformation and that it attaches importance to the title of climate-resilient cities.

“We view our cities as the areas where we see the most visible results of the energy transition, and if you look at it from Türkiye’s perspective, cities are also a strong application area.” Kurum said that after the February 6, 2023 earthquake, Türkiye built 500,000 disaster houses in two years with a focus on Kahramanmaraş.

The institution said: “Our earthquake experience in particular has clearly demonstrated the importance of resilient infrastructure, safe construction and local capacity.” He stressed that financing is the other important pillar of the COP31 action agenda.

Stating that the commitments made under the COP29-Baku financial target will be fulfilled during the COP31 Presidency, Kurum said: “In the current situation, the problem is actually the gap between the targets and the implementation. We all know this very well. This gap should be closed by supporting the right projects and supporting them with financing structures. Here too, we will implement an implementation mechanism. To deliver the right financing to the right projects in the fastest way.” he said. ​​​​​​​

Noting that they expect the participants of today's meeting to express concrete and applicable proposals and their expectations for COP31, Minister Kurum said: “On this occasion, we re-invite all countries of the world, all our leaders, all our friends to the meeting that will be held in Antalya.” he said.