Report on Turkey’s National Climate Law and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development

Turkey has enacted its first comprehensive climate law, a legislative milestone that integrates national environmental policy with economic strategy. The law, which entered into force in July 2025, establishes a legal framework to achieve the nation’s 2053 net-zero emissions target. This initiative directly addresses the imperatives of the Paris Agreement and is strategically aligned with multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action). It positions Turkey to navigate the European Union’s carbon border regulations, thereby securing market access and reinforcing its commitment to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Legislative Objectives and SDG Integration

The new law provides a legal foundation for Turkey’s climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. Its core objectives are designed to advance a green transformation across all sectors, reflecting a holistic approach to sustainable development.

1. Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction: The primary objective is to achieve the 2053 net-zero emission target, directly contributing to SDG 13 (Climate Action). The law mandates responsibilities for all public and private entities to align their activities with national emission reduction strategies.
2. Promotion of a Green Economy: The legislation promotes a transition toward a low-carbon economy. This includes increasing the use of renewable energy and clean technologies, which supports SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and implementing circular economy and zero-waste systems, in line with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
3. Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience: Recognizing Turkey’s vulnerability to climate impacts such as drought and extreme weather, the law mandates the creation of local climate change action plans. This enhances resilience and supports SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Provisions for sustainable ecosystem management and biodiversity protection also contribute to SDG 15 (Life on Land).
4. Establishment of Market Mechanisms and Green Finance: The law introduces critical economic tools to drive the green transition. This includes establishing a legal basis for an Emissions Trading System (ETS) and a national Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), fostering innovation under SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). It also creates a framework for climate finance and a green taxonomy to channel investment toward sustainable projects.

Key Provisions and Institutional Frameworks

To ensure effective implementation, the law establishes clear institutional roles and regulatory mechanisms.

• Climate Change Presidency: The law formalizes the authority of the Climate Change Presidency, established under the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, to coordinate national and international efforts, policies, and strategies related to green development.
• Emissions Trading System (ETS): A mandatory ETS is established for designated businesses, requiring them to obtain greenhouse gas emission permits. This mechanism internalizes the cost of carbon and directs revenue toward low-carbon technologies and clean production.
• Local Action Plans: The law requires local administrations to prepare climate change action plans based on local risks and needs, ensuring a cooperative, bottom-up approach to building resilience.
• Sustainable Resource Management: A core principle of the law is social and environmental sustainability. It encourages the protection of natural resources and mandates the creation of education and awareness programs to increase society’s capacity to adapt to climate change.

Conclusion: A Policy for Sustainable and Competitive Growth

Turkey’s climate law represents a strategic policy that reframes climate action as an industrial and export imperative. By establishing a domestic ETS, Turkey aims to retain carbon-related costs within the country and reinvest them in its green transition, supporting a just transition and regional development. This legislation strengthens Turkey’s position in global supply chains, enhances its access to green financing, and aligns its long-term development goals with environmental responsibility. The law is a foundational step in transforming carbon management from a liability into a competitive advantage, ensuring the nation’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and securing a resilient economic future.

Analysis of Turkey’s Climate Law and its Connection to SDGs

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The entire article is centered on Turkey’s new climate law, which is a direct response to climate change. It explicitly mentions the goal of achieving the “2053 net-zero emission target,” fulfilling “Paris Agreement commitments,” and establishing legal frameworks for “greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate change adaptation.”
2. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The law aims to “increase the use of renewable energy and clean technologies” as part of its strategy to transition to a low-carbon economy.
3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • The article highlights that the law promotes a “circular economy approach” and aims to “implement and expand a zero-waste system,” which are core principles of sustainable consumption and production.
4. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
   • The law is described as an “industrial and export policy” aimed at creating “sustainable production infrastructure.” It encourages the adoption of “low-carbon technologies” and “clean production” to transform Turkish industry and maintain competitiveness.
5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The article frames the climate law as a “strategic economic move” to ensure long-term “economic growth opportunities,” increase “competitiveness,” and attract “green investments,” thereby decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The law emphasizes global and local cooperation. It aligns Turkey with international agreements like the “UNFCCC” and “Paris Agreement” and regional policies like the EU’s “carbon border regulation.” Domestically, it calls for cooperation among “all public institutions and organizations and real and legal persons.”
7. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • The legislation includes provisions for environmental protection, specifically aiming to “protect and expand the use of sinks and protected areas” and “mitigating the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity.”
8. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The law mandates action at the local level, stating that “Local climate change action plans will be prepared” by “all local administrations” to address local risks and needs, making communities more resilient.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The enactment of Turkey’s “first comprehensive climate law” is a direct implementation of this target, creating a “legal foundation for climate action” and integrating the “2053 net-zero emission target” into national strategy.
   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. The law explicitly establishes frameworks for “climate adaptation” to address impacts like “drought, disaster, food security and extreme weather events.”
   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. The article mentions that the law emphasizes the “creation of education and awareness programs that will increase the capacity of society to adapt to climate change.”
2. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The article states a clear aim of the law is to “increase the use of renewable energy and clean technologies.”
3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. This is directly addressed by the law’s aim to “implement and expand a zero-waste system.”
   • Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. The law’s promotion of a “circular economy approach” and the “protection and sustainable management of natural resources” aligns with this target.
4. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
   • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes. The article details how the law will channel resources toward “low-carbon technologies, clean production” and create a “sustainable production infrastructure.”
5. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The law includes provisions for “mitigating the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity and taking measures for sustainable ecosystem management.”
6. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters. The law mandates the creation of “Local climate change action plans” by “all local administrations,” directly fulfilling this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Achievement of the 2053 net-zero emission target: This is the primary, long-term quantitative indicator for measuring the success of greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts (relevant to SDG 13).
2. Implementation of an Emissions Trading System (ETS): The establishment and operationalization of the ETS is a concrete policy indicator. The article states the law makes regulations regarding the ETS mandatory for businesses, which can be tracked (relevant to SDG 13).
3. Greenhouse gas emission permits: The number of permits issued and the overall emissions cap within the ETS serve as a quantifiable indicator of progress in regulating and reducing emissions from industry (relevant to SDG 13).
4. Development of Local Climate Change Action Plans: The number of municipalities that have prepared and are implementing these plans can be tracked as a measure of local-level adaptation and mitigation efforts (relevant to SDG 11 and SDG 13).
5. Increased share of renewable energy: While no specific percentage is given, progress can be measured by tracking the percentage of renewable energy in Turkey’s total energy consumption over time (relevant to SDG 7).
6. Establishment of a Turkey Green Taxonomy: The creation and application of this taxonomy for “determination of green investments” is a key indicator of progress in mobilizing climate finance and promoting sustainable industry (relevant to SDG 9 and SDG 8).
7. Volume of green investments and access to green financing: The amount of capital flowing into projects defined as “green” by the new taxonomy can be measured to assess the economic impact of the law (relevant to SDG 8).
8. Expansion of sinks and protected areas: The increase in the total area designated as carbon sinks (like forests) and protected ecosystems can be measured in hectares or square kilometers (relevant to SDG 15).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: corporatecomplianceinsights.com