Controversial Climate Law Sparks Debate in Turkey

New Law Defines Carbon Markets, Net Zero Goals — But Critics Say It Favors Corporations Over the Public

Turkey’s first-ever Climate Law has passed in Parliament, sparking heated debate between the ruling AKP and opposition parties, as well as civil society groups. Officially titled the “Climate Law Proposal,” the legislation outlines 39 core climate-related concepts including “climate justice,” “climate finance,” “net zero emissions,” “just transition,” “carbon credit,” “offsetting,” and the foundation of a national Emission Trading System (ETS).

Opposition lawmakers and environmental activists argue the law provides a legal shield for environmental degradation, allowing unchecked industrial development under the guise of green reform. Proponents claim it aligns with Turkey’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2053.

What the Law Covers

The Climate Law mandates that all public institutions, businesses, and individuals comply with new climate regulations and measures “in the public interest.” Progress on emissions reduction and climate adaptation will be monitored annually by the newly empowered Climate Change Presidency, which is also tasked with setting policies, enforcing emissions markets, and coordinating with relevant ministries.

The Presidency will be authorized to request data from public institutions and private entities. This information will feed into Turkey’s National Geospatial Data Platform, allowing for cross-agency environmental tracking and planning. Military-related data will be handled jointly by the Climate Ministry and the relevant defense authorities.

Crucially, the law paves the way for a Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (SKDM) to tax imports based on embedded carbon emissions. The Ministry of Trade, in coordination with other ministries, will establish the reporting rules and coverage criteria.

Financial Penalties and Market Mechanisms

Companies violating ozone-depleting chemical regulations now face severe financial penalties. Fines include:

• ₺2.5 million for unauthorized import, sale, or use of ozone-depleting substances.

• ₺250,000 for servicing equipment that uses such substances without proper authorization.

• ₺120,000 for violating labeling requirements on products containing ozone-depleting chemicals.

These provisions are designed to align Turkey’s environmental framework with emerging global climate finance trends, particularly carbon markets. However, critics see this as a form of “green capitalism” that monetizes pollution rather than reducing it.

Opposition: ‘The Public Pays, Corporations Profit’

CHP Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır fiercely criticized the law during the parliamentary session, claiming it was crafted to benefit a handful of companies at the expense of Turkey’s 86 million citizens. “This bill was not drafted with universities, environmental NGOs, or local governments. It does nothing for the working-class communities most vulnerable to climate change,” Başarır said, accusing Erdoğan’s government of handing natural resources over to private and foreign interests.

Another CHP MP, İlhami Özcan Aygun, described the law as a carbon credit scheme benefiting polluting industries. “AKP cannot protect nature — it exploits it,” he declared.

Necmettin Çalışkan, MP for the New Path Party, echoed the criticism, arguing that the law is a “gift to imperialist corporations that have been polluting the planet for 200 years.” He warned it would place even greater restrictions on small farmers and domestic producers, likening it to the expansion of shopping malls that devastated local merchants in past decades.

Toker: ‘Industrial Pollution Repackaged as Climate Reform’

Veteran journalist Çiğdem Toker noted that while the law is formally presented as meeting Turkey’s international climate obligations, including those under the Paris Agreement, its real agenda is the commodification of pollution. Government-affiliated media outlets have lauded the law, claiming it will bring $50 billion in direct investment and create 2 million jobs by 2053.

Yet even the European Union has come under fire for supporting similar market-based climate mechanisms. EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, in a recent Euronews interview, acknowledged that Brussels sees carbon credit trading as a diplomatic tool to build alliances with regions like Africa and Latin America. However, the mechanism is only projected to account for 3% of actual emissions reductions.

‘No People, Just Markets’

CHP MP Sibel Suiçmez criticized lawmakers for ignoring the 860-page report prepared by Parliament’s Climate Research Commission in 2021. None of CHP’s 28 proposed amendments were included in the final bill. Mersin MP Gülcan Kış emphasized that the law fails to protect agriculture, public health, or biodiversity: “What we have here is a market-centric law that overlooks real climate threats. Local governments are sidelined, the public excluded, and scientific input ignored.”

İYİ Party MP Şenol Sunat also blasted the proposal as disconnected from public interest, describing the carbon offset system as morally flawed: “Trying to compensate for environmental damage in Batman by planting trees in Istanbul is neither fair nor effective,” she argued, adding that a lack of transparency and monitoring could lead to double-counting of emissions.

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