Turkey taking 'significant steps' toward renewable energy: President Erdogan

Turkey is taking “significant steps” toward renewable energy, and has accepted responsibility for the greenhouse gas issue, which concerns the common future of the world and humanity, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

“Turkey's greenhouse gas emissions are quite low. Despite this, we take responsibility for this vital issue that concerns the future of our world. We are among the countries that have made the most significant contributions to the Paris Climate Agreement with our 2053 zero net emissions and green development goals.

"We are taking important steps in renewable energy, nuclear, and hydrogen investments," Erdogan said at a news conference after the G-20 summit in India.

The G-20 leaders, in the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, gathered in the capital New Delhi for a two-day summit under the theme of "One Earth, One Family, One Future."

Turkey is fifth in Europe and 12th in the world in terms of renewable established strength, Erdogan said.

"Our steps in energy efficiency and renewable energy have prevented 90 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. In line with our 2053 net zero emission target, we doubled our emission reduction target by 2030. We are one of the world's leading countries in the fight against desertification and erosion," he added.

'GLOBAL MOVEMENT'

About Turkey's zero-waste project, Erdogan said the project has turned into a global movement.

"Thanks to our suggestion, attention was drawn to the importance of zero waste initiatives in the G-20 declaration. In the first session of the summit, we emphasized the importance of fair burden sharing between developed and developing countries.

"We also drew attention to the importance of increasing financing and technology transfer to developing countries," he added.

In 2017, under the auspices of first lady Emine Erdogan, Turkey launched the zero-waste project to highlight the importance of eliminating waste in fighting the climate crisis.

The project has drawn international praise, with UN chief Antonio Guterres expressing his gratitude to the first lady during a conference in New York last September.

Last December, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on the zero waste initiative presented by Turkey, declaring March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste.

In the second G-20 summit session titled "One Family," Erdogan said he talked about Turkey's efforts to strengthen global solidarity.

"We expressed what needs to be done for the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of refugees and displaced persons to their home countries," he said.

Ankara believes that a fairer world is possible, Erdogan said, adding: "We are the country that provides the most aid in the world in proportion to national income."

Turkey, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, is taking new measures at its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.