Turkey's COP31 message: electrify, recycle, don't mention coal

AI Summary

Turkey is promoting electrification, renewable energy and its Zero Waste agenda ahead of hosting the COP31 climate summit. Environmental campaigners argue that this messaging avoids addressing continued reliance on coal and Turkey’s role as a destination for plastic waste.

As the COP31 climate summit approaches, host nation Turkey is putting electrification front and centre, touting its renewables boom while pushing its Zero Waste agenda as a way to reduce methane emissions. But local environmental campaigners say it sidesteps the "elephant in the room" of Turkey's ongoing reliance on coal and obscures the fact it has effectively become "Europe's dumping ground" for plastic waste.