Izmir Leads the Way to a Climate-Neutral Future
İzmir has rolled up its sleeves, taking decisive steps to become a resilient city in the face of the climate change. The European Union (EU) has supported Izmir's substantial efforts.
In 2015, Aziz Kocaoğlu, the then Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, signed the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, committing to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The Convenant aims at supporting mayors in realising the shared climate and energy goals.
In 2019, Tunç Soyer, the previous mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, reviewed the city’s climate adaptation targets, committing to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The Izmir Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan has received funding from the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
SUMP İzmir for sustainable transport
The preparation of the EU-backed Izmir Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP Izmir) commenced in September 2022. It will contribute significantly to achieving the city's ambitious sustainability targets.
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
Ambassador attended the opening meeting of SUMP Izmir in 2022
The Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, says: “Unlike traditional transport planning, this plan will not focus on vehicles but on people and respect for the environment. Teams from the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality are implementing the project. Stakeholders and the people of Izmir have a big say in defining this vision. Izmir has been at the forefront of the transition to sustainable mobility planning.”
Pioneer projects
The city is implementing flagship projects, ranging from rainwater harvesting to solar power plants.
Under the Izmir Sponge City Project, the Metropolitan Municipality distributed 5,000 rainwater harvesting tanks to 5,000 buildings and encouraged people to use them. A 5-tonne tank that stores only the water that collects on a roof can save 220 tonnes of water a year. The stored rainwater is used for watering gardens, washing cars, and cleaning buildings.
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
Rainwater harvesting in Izmir
Another prominent project in Izmir is the EU-funded Inter-Cluster Cooperation for Carbon Management project, which had the inaugural meeting in April 2024. It is implemented in partnership with Aegean Exporters’ Associations and CoSviG - DTE2V Distretto Tecnologico Energia ed Economia Verde from Italy, with the participation of Izmir Development Agency, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s IzEnerji company and Eurosolar Türkiye. The project, which will come into force in 2026, will contribute to producing clean energy. The EU supports the project with a €520,000 grant.
The Aegean Exporters’ Associations Coordinator Vice President Yalçın Ertan said: “Our goal is to increase our use of renewable energy from 6 per cent to 25 per cent. By 2026, we will provide the necessary support mechanisms for our member companies.”
EU award to Izmir
Izmir is also involved in the EU's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission under the Horizon Europe Program. The activities of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission are coordinated by IzEnerji.
For these dedicated efforts, in March 2024, Izmir received the prestigious EU Mission Label, along with 22 cities in Europe. This award represents an important milestone in the city's work on sustainability.
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
The award is an important step towards making Izmir a sustainable city
Tunç Soyer, who received the award in Brussels on behalf of Izmir just before the end of his term as mayor, said: “This award will place our city in a very privileged position in terms of access to EU funding.”
Ercan Türkoğlu, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of IzEnerji, stated: “We are proud to be the only non-EU city to win this award. The EU has recognised Izmir's determination and efforts towards achieving sustainability and smart city solutions. We will build a greener, cleaner, and smarter city by working hand in hand for the future of Izmir.”
EUROPEAN UNIOIN, 2024
The award ceremony in March 2024
It is notable that Dr Cemil Tugay, elected Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality on 31 March, had implemented effective climate-friendly projects as mayor of Karşıyaka, one of Izmir's central districts.
Call for a unified effort to cut emissions
Mustafa Güleş, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Izmir Branch of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, reflects: “To achieve our green targets, the people of the city, all private and public institutions as well as organisations, must support the work and reduce their own emissions.”
The people in Izmir are quite optimistic about these developments. System engineer Sadık Çakıcı remarks: “We are feeling the effects of the climate crisis more and more each day. It is good to see that work is progressing toward achieving a green future for a resilient Izmir.”
Fulya Cengiz, a retired worker, says, “In the last four years, we have experienced floods, rising sea levels due to storm surges, and tsunamis as a result of sudden weather events. This already shows why Izmir needs to be a resilient city.”
What are IPA and Horizon Europe?
The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is the means by which the EU has supported reforms in the enlargement region with financial and technical assistance since 2007. IPA funds build up the capacities of the beneficiaries throughout the accession process, resulting in progressive, positive developments in the enlargement region to which Türkiye belongs.
Horizon Europe is the EU's key funding program for research and innovation, with a budget of €95.5 billion for 2021-2027.
