Cop 27: Turkey agrees deeper emission reduction targets

Turkey has laid out new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) under its revised nationally determined contribution (NDC).

The government has committed to a 41pc cut by 2030, compared with a business-as-usual scenario, Turkish environment, urbanisation and climate change minsiter Murat Kurum said during today's plenary opening at the Cop 27 UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh. The previous target, presented in October last year, was for a 21pc cut by 20230.

The revised target would result in a total GHG emissions reduction of 500mn t by 2030, while the country's emissions are expected to peak no later than 2038, according to Kurum.

The updated version of the text will be a "significant reference in the fight against climate change", he said. It will be adopted "economy-wide" and covers the seven GHGs included in its previous national inventory, Kurum said.

Turkey aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2053.

The pledge to raise carbon reduction targets follows a series of updated NDCs during Cop 27.

By Florence Schmit