“The seas have no passports.” On the Black Sea coast in Trabzon, Murat Kurum, Turkey’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change and COP31 President-Designate, sums up in five words one of the challenges facing the UN climate summit in Antalya: pollution, warming waters and rising seas do not stop at national borders.
On 10 September, during the Blue Dialogue – Oceans & Seas, Climate Change and Resilience, Kurum spoke to Renewable Matter, the only Italian media outlet to interview him, setting out Turkey's priorities for COP31, from climate diplomacy and the transition away from fossil fuels to finance, water security and ocean protection.
For Kurum, the test will be turning commitments into action. He wants Antalya to be an “implementation COP”, guided by three principles: “Dialogue, consensus, action.” As he puts it: “People now want to see how the words spoken in conference halls translate into their cities, their jobs, their tables and their futures.”
Minister Kurum, what role will civil society play at COP31, and how will you guarantee space for peaceful protests and demonstrations?
We are in contact with civil society organisations involved in the UN process, and we always consult with them. We will allocate free spaces in the Green Zone and hear their requests and insights on the negotiations. We are running this presidency on behalf of 196 countries. We will be fair and transparent, and everyone will have a chance to express themselves freely.
The United States has stepped back from international climate diplomacy. How can COP31 work without one of its most important diplomatic actors?
The US government may have taken a step back, but I am in contact with companies registered in US chambers – companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon. Industrialists and producers say they disagree with the government and want to work on the relevant issues and represent the United States at COP31. The private sector clearly wants this, and I believe society wants it too. Perspectives can change. We have to take determined steps towards concrete results. US companies and financial institutions want investment and want to diversify their energy sources. The crises we are facing demonstrate that.
With Washington reducing its engagement, how are you working with China ahead of COP31?
We are in contact with China, which is involved in the process. I congratulate China because, with such a large geography and population, it is leading a transformation in its own country, for example, through electric vehicles and renewable-energy plants. China is investing domestically and in different countries around the world and looking for new investment opportunities.
And what about Russia’s involvement in COP31?
The same goes for Russia. I am in contact with Russia as well because, if we are to combat climate change, we have to come to a consensus. I don’t really see any problem with their engagement. Türkiye has taken on a mediator role between Russia and Ukraine. For that reason, we will stay impartial during the COP31 process.
You describe COP31 as an “implementation COP”. Yet the world is approaching the 1.5°C threshold. What does implementation mean when that target is increasingly difficult to hold?
The world has already warmed by around 1.3°C. But if we can keep warming around 1.5°C, that will still be a success. That is precisely why COP31 must be an implementation COP. Important decisions have been made, but now they have to turn into concrete projects. Yes, we will talk, yes, we will cooperate, but we will get results. Without results, everything else remains up in the air. The world now expects action, implementation and results from us. What takes shape here in Trabzon, we will carry into global action at COP31. Five years from now, we want to see whether projects secured financing, whether coastlines became more resilient and whether developing countries gained greater access to resources.
The transition away from fossil fuels remains one of the most divisive issues in climate negotiations. Will COP31 seek a stronger roadmap?
You probably will not see a specific fossil-fuel item on the Action Agenda, but there are many themes that will indirectly decrease their use. One is electrification. We have a target of 35% by 2035. This is not a wish. It is not about what you want; it is about what you do. A 50% reduction in waste, increasing circular material use to 15% and reducing energy intensity in urban areas by 20% all serve that purpose. There was a decision made with respect to transitioning away from fossil fuels, and we will build on it, further strengthening the will that was put forth at the previous COP. It can be wind, water, solar, hydrogen or nuclear power. These will all serve that transition. These are the tangible targets we set forth.
Ahead of the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum in Rome on 29 September, water security is emerging as an increasingly urgent issue across the Mediterranean. What role should it play in the implementation agenda you want to bring to COP31?
Extreme heat, droughts, floods and water stress are becoming increasingly visible in people’s daily lives. Climate change now touches every aspect of life: energy, industry, cities, trade, agriculture, water and development. We need projects that can be matched with finance and technology. Climate justice, for me, can be expressed in one sentence: if we share the goal, then we must also share the means. Countries directly facing climate impacts, despite not bearing major responsibility for causing them, must have access to those means.
Oceans remain one of the least-funded areas of climate action. What would count as a COP31 success, particularly for the countries most exposed to climate change?
Access to financing, project preparation and technology are challenges. We are developing a mechanism through which know-how can be shared and projects, particularly from small island states and developing coastal countries, can be matched with financing. There is capital, technology and knowledge in the world, but they do not always come together. At COP31 we want to bring projects together with financing and financing with implementation. We will give priority to Pacific Island states. A young person from an island state once said to me: “You are talking and debating, but my country is facing the threat of disappearing. It will be underwater. Our dreams are disappearing, our youth is disappearing, history is disappearing. We will have no home, no land left to live on.” This is the awareness with which we must act.
Türkiye and Australia have distinct leadership roles at COP31. How will this arrangement work when political disagreements emerge?
Türkiye and Australia are not co-presidents. Türkiye is the president of COP31, and Australia is the president of negotiations. We are in consultation with Australia, but the final decision lies with the COP31 presidency. We are working in good harmony and with a shared perspective. If Türkiye and Australia cannot agree on something, it is not realistic to expect 196 countries to agree. We will listen to each other, engage in dialogue and build consensus.
On 10 September in Trabzon, you launched the Marine Litter Action Platform, a global digital hub designed to turn cooperation against marine litter into measurable action. What do you want it to achieve in practice?
Our seas may have different names, but they are interconnected parts of a single climate and a single system of life. A piece of waste thrown into the Black Sea can appear in the Mediterranean; a problem here can reach the oceans, and what happens in the oceans can come back to us. This is not just an environmental issue. When plastic enters the sea, fish consume it and, ultimately, we consume it too. We need to change the way we see waste: it should be treated as a resource and brought back into the economy. The platform is about making action visible and measurable, sharing knowledge and tracking its impact. We want the experience and solutions developed here to reach beyond the Black Sea and contribute to a global effort to protect our seas.
Cover: Murata Kurun, photo by UNclimatechange via Flickr