From Climate Crisis to Climate Action: On the Road to COP31

Dear Prof. Akay, 
Dear Faculty Members,
Dear students and members of Students Society for Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you for having me here today. It is the 2nd time that I am at your university and I am delighted to be here. 

Reflecting on climate change can sometimes feel distant, measured in graphs, projections, and future scenarios. But for your generation, climate change is not a distant issue.

It is shaping the world you enter, the jobs you will have, the cities you will live in,
and the stability of the societies around you. Because climate change today is not only an environmental issue. It is an economic issue; a security issue; and an increasing challenge to define our shared future.

A World at Risk

Recent global events have made one thing very clear:

Our energy system, still deeply dependent on fossil fuels, leaves countries vulnerable.

Vulnerable to conflict. Vulnerable to price shocks. Vulnerable to decisions made far beyond their borders.

When energy supply is concentrated in a few regions, each geopolitical crisis sends shockwaves across the world raising costs, disrupting economies, and affecting the most vulnerable first and hardest.

We have seen this time and again. And we will see it again, unless we change course, because fossil fuel dependency always results in price volatility, ultimately impacting the most vulnerable.

An Exit Ramp Exists

Today, for the first time in history, we have a real alternative. As the United Nations Secretary-General has said: We now have an exit ramp.

Renewable energy alternatives, such as solar, wind, and clean technologies, are no longer a distant promise.

Renewable energy is the fastest path to:

• energy security
• economic security
• and national security

Dear students,

There are no price spikes for sunlight. No embargoes on the wind. And this changes everything. Because climate action is no longer just about avoiding harm. It is about building stronger economies; creating jobs; improving health; and ensuring stability in an increasingly unstable world.

And it is about you. This transition will be shaped by your ideas, your skills, and your courage to do things differently. You are the generation that will design the solutions, challenge outdated systems, and turn innovation into impact. The choices you make today - what you study, what you question, what you build - will define not only your future, but also our collective future.

For the first time, the tools to change the course of history are not out of reach. They are in your hands.

From Crisis to Opportunity

The climate paradigm is shifting. We are moving from an era of climate negotiation…
to an era of climate implementation. From promises…to delivery. From ambition…to action.

Last year alone, global investment in clean energy exceeded two trillion dollars.

Renewable energy is now the largest source of electricity worldwide.

And countries that lead this transition are not only protecting the planet; they are positioning themselves at the forefront of the global economy of the future.

The Reality We Must Face

At the same time, we must be honest. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made it clear: keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach becomes increasingly difficult. This does not mean we give up. It means we must act with even greater urgency to ensure that any overshoot is:

• as small as possible
• as short as possible
• and as safe as possible

And that requires action on multiple fronts:

• Rapid transition in the energy sector
• Reducing methane emissions
• Strengthening resilience and adaptation
• And scaling up finance and support where it is most needed

Adaptation is no longer optional. It is an investment in security, stability, and prosperity.

Türkiye’s Role in a Defining Decade

Countries like Türkiye have a critical role to play in this global effort. As an emerging economy - dynamic, strategic, and rapidly developing - the decisions taken in the coming years will shape not only national trajectories, but also global outcomes.

Türkiye has significant potential in renewable energy: it has a strong industrial base and a unique position as a bridge between regions, markets, and ideas.

This is a moment of opportunity and a moment of responsibility.

Why COP31 Matters

This brings us to COP31. COP stands for the ‘Conference of the Parties’. It is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where 197 countries and the European Union gather annually to negotiate, set goals, and measure progress on limiting global climate change.

COP31 in Türkiye will not simply be another conference. It will be part of a new phase of climate action focused on implementation; on turning commitments into concrete results; and on bringing governments, businesses, investors, and communities together to deliver solutions at scale.

From clean energy systems…to resilient infrastructure…to sustainable cities and industries.

COP31 is an opportunity for Türkiye, and for all of us, to demonstrate what climate leadership looks like in practice.

COP31: From Commitments to Implementation

This is why COP31 matters, and why Türkiye’s leadership comes at such a critical moment.

Türkiye has made it clear that COP31 will not just be another conference focused on new commitments. Türkiye has the ambition to make this an “Implementation COP.” A COP where decisions are not only negotiated but also delivered. Where ambition is not only declared but equally realized in practice.

As the COP31 President-Designate - the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Mr. Murat Kurum - has emphasized: the real measure of success will be translation of decisions into concrete action.

Because, dear students, one of the biggest challenges we face today is not a lack of targets, but a gap between commitments and implementation.

Closing that gap is now the priority. 

Türkiye’s COP31 agenda reflects this shift with a strong focus on solutions that are practical, scalable, and impactful.

Five priority areas stand out:

• First, accelerating the clean energy transition, recognizing that energy is not only an environmental issue, but also a matter of development, health, and justice.

   

  • Second, enhancing Zero Waste and reducing methane emissions, placing circular economy approaches at the heart of climate action, and addressing one of the most powerful drivers of global warming.
    
     
  • Third, climate-resilient cities, ensuring that urban development, infrastructure, and housing are adapted to a changing climate.
  • Fourth, strengthening implementation mechanisms, closing the gap between plans and delivery.

   

 

• And fifth, green industrial transformation, supporting industries to align with long-term net-zero pathways.

At the core of this vision is a simple but powerful idea: Energy security and climate action are complementary, not competing priorities.

Today’s world does not only expect new targets; it expects solutions that can be implemented at scale.

Türkiye’s COP31 leadership will not only have a positive impact on the implementation of climate policies in Türkiye, but also globally.

The United Nations in Türkiye stands ready to fully support this effort.

Through a coordinated, system-wide approach, the UN Country Team in Türkiye works closely with the Government and partners to deliver an ambitious, inclusive, and action-oriented COP31.

This includes providing technical expertise, strengthening partnerships, and collaborating with multiple stakeholders to translate outcomes of COP31 into real progress on the ground, aligned with Türkiye’s national climate goals and its long-term vision for a net-zero future.

The Role of Young People

And this is where you come in.

Because the transition we are talking about is not just technological; it is generational.

It is about how you will:

• design cities
• build businesses
• shape policies
• and define what progress looks like

You are not just witnesses to this transformation. You are its architects. The choices you make, in your studies, your careers, your engagement, will determine whether we succeed.

A Defining Moment

We are living through a defining decade. A decade in which the decisions we take will shape the future of our planet for generations to come. But it is also a decade of unprecedented opportunities.

Opportunities to build:

• cleaner economies
• more resilient societies
• and a more stable and cooperative world

Hence, climate cooperation is not only about protecting the environment. It is about restoring trust. Strengthening partnerships. And building peace and prosperity together.

Closing

Dear Friends, 

I want to conclude with this message:

The climate crisis is real. But so is our capacity - your capacity - to respond.

The solutions are not abstract. They are already in your hands.

You can choose what you study and align it with the needs of a changing world.
You can shape your careers towards clean energy, sustainable cities, innovation, policy, and finance. You can use your voice to raise awareness, challenge misinformation, and demand ambition. You can support solutions through your daily choices, your research, your entrepreneurship, and your engagement.

And, importantly, you do not have to act alone.

In Türkiye, young people are already stepping forward, for example through the Youth Climate Envoys, who are helping to bring youth perspectives into national and global climate discussions, including on the road to COP31.

This is what leadership looks like. Not someday, but now.

We have the knowledge. We have the technology. We increasingly have the investment. What we need now is speed. And solidarity.

From climate crisis…to climate action…on the road to COP31. That journey has already begun.

And you, not only as future leaders, but also as leaders today, have a role to play in shaping where it leads.

Thank you.