Turkey pushes for transition at COP31 as coal burns

The host of this year's UN climate summit remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels as it tries to inspire a global switch to clean energy. As Turkey welcomes delegates to the 2026 UN climate talks in Antalya and pushes for cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions, it can point to surging renewable energy capacity at home.

The COP31 host has approved more than 33 gigawatts (GW) of battery storage projects since 2022 that can power over 27 million homes. Among the largest battery project pipelines in Europe, this storage will complement fast-expanding wind and solar energy that today provides 22% of electricity in Turkey, up from 4.5% a decade ago.

Turkey's coal-fired electricity generation increased by roughly one-third in the last decade, and in 2024 overtook Germany and Poland, which previously had the highest coal power capacity in Europe before it began to decline. Turkey is among the few industrialized countries that is yet to commit to a phase-out date for coal — the fossil fuel with the highest planet-heating emissions.