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Turkey to Ratify Paris Agreement

Turkey president Erdogan said the 2016 Paris climate agreement will be presented to parliament for ratification next month, and the approval will be completed before the UN COP26 conference in Glasgow in November. Taking in consideration that Erdogan's ruling party and its allies have a majority in parliament, there are no obstacles for smooth ratification.

No details of the climate goals were disclosed but experts say that the country is not planning to set itself an ambitious target. The main challenge is that Turkish attempts to reduce emissions on a large scale will face structural and financial problems.

For instance, the country heavily depends on gas and coal-fired generation. Turkey has 8.9GW of capacity based on imported coal, with most of this launched after 2010 and in the early stages of its economic lifespan. One more large coal-fired power station (1.3GW Hunutlu plant) is planned to start operations later this year.

One of key drivers for Turkey decision to ratify its commitments under the Paris climate agreement is the EU's upcoming carbon levy (CBAM). The bloc is largest trade partner of Turkey.