More than 100 world leaders gathered in Antalya on Tuesday, November 10, for the first day of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, building momentum on electrification and waste.
The summit was hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Addressing leaders, President Erdoğan said respect for nature lies at the heart of Türkiye’s civilisation.
“Earth is a sacred trust that must be protected and cared for… This culture, which considers bread as fertility, water as holy, and a tree as life, serves as our compass in our environmental and climate policies,” he said.
He said Türkiye is working to become part of the solution rather than the problem in the fight against climate change.
President Erdoğan later hosted a leader-level event on electrification, attended by Guterres, to discuss opportunities and barriers to progress.
Türkiye has already published its own National Energy Plan earlier this month.
“We are increasing our renewable energy investments, boosting energy efficiency, and promoting clean transport solutions,” he said.
COP31 President Murat Kurum said climate action is in the national interest, arguing that using energy more efficiently makes supplies more secure, while clean technologies create jobs and resilient cities strengthen economies.
The Presidency also hosted a leader-level event on Green Industrialisation to build support for the Antalya Green Industrialization Compact.
Industry accounts for about a quarter of direct global CO2 emissions.
First Lady Emine Erdoğan spoke at a leader-level event on Zero Waste, aimed at cutting projected growth in global municipal solid waste by at least 50% by 2035 and raising the global circular material use rate to at least 15%.
The waste sector accounts for about 20% of human-caused methane emissions.
The COP31 Presidency also launched the Circularity Knowledge Sharing Network and hosted a Global High-Level Dialogue on Methane Emissions from the Waste Sector.COP31 runs in Antalya from November 9 to 20, 2026.
