'Turkey expects up to 21% decline of emissions until 2030'

Mentioning Turkey's action plans and strategies to stem the effects of climate change, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted Thursday that the country expects a reduction of its greenhouse gas emission up to 21% until 2030.

Speaking at the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by US President Joe Biden, Erdoğan said Turkey is also one of the most affected countries by climate change, even though it has not had a historical responsibility on the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

"Climate change is not only affecting certain states that are most polluting the world but actually affecting all humanity starting with the countries in the African continent," he added.

Stressing Ankara's action towards climate change, he recalled Turkey's intense investment to increase the forest areas of the country: "We have planted a total of 5.1 billion saplings for the last 18 years and increased our forest stock from 20.8 million to 22 million hectares."

He went on to say that Turkey will continue to contribute to the global climate action on equal terms with countries of similar economic levels.

Turkey is a leading country in the region in terms of renewable energy, he added, referring to the country's investment and works towards "clean energy."