Konya Mayor Joins Climate Council in Kyoto, Calls on Major Polluters to Act

Tahir Akyurek, mayor of Konya's metropolitan municipality, represented Türkiye as the sole Turkish participant at the World Mayors Council on Climate Change (WMCCC) meeting held in Kyoto, Japan.

Akyurek argued that nations most responsible for driving global warming bear a proportional obligation to fund its prevention, calling it "their responsibility for humanity." He also urged local and national governments to invest in renewable energy and called on international organizations to finance such efforts.

Konya's municipality, the only Turkish city invited to the gathering, formally joined the WMCCC during the meeting.

The WMCCC was founded by Kyoto Mayor Yorikane Masumoto after the Kyoto Protocol took effect in February 2005. The council works to advance climate protection at the municipal level, encourage cooperation among city leaders on emissions targets, and strengthen the effectiveness of multilateral climate mechanisms.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.