Organized by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) and hosted by Uşak University, the “Workshop on the Carbon Economy and Sustainable Energy Policies in the Green Deal Process” was held. Our YTÜ Rector, Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, chaired the session on carbon markets and pricing mechanisms, while our faculty members also participated in the workshop with presentations on the green hydrogen strategy, sectoral emissions reduction, and Turkey’s 2053 net-zero targets.

Organized by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Change Working Group, the “Workshop on the Carbon Economy and Sustainable Energy Policies in the Green Deal Process,” held on October 16–17, 2026, was held at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Congress and Culture Center, hosted by Uşak University.

The opening ceremony was attended by Uşak Governor Dr. Serdar Kartal, Uşak Member of Parliament Opr. Dr. Ali Karaoba, TÜBA Vice President and TÜBA Council Executive Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, Uşak University Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Demir, Rector of Yıldız Technical University Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, TÜBA Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Change Working Group Coordinator Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Aydın, and Prof. Dr. Halil Hasar, Chair of the Climate Change Committee, along with academics, industry representatives, and students.

The workshop, which addressed the fight against climate change, the green transition, and sustainable energy policies, also featured Yıldız Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik and YTÜ faculty members. During the workshop, Turkey’s alignment with the European Green Deal, the functioning of carbon markets, clean energy technologies, and policy options for achieving the 2053 net-zero targets were evaluated.

Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik chaired the session on carbon markets

On the first day of the workshop, YTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik chaired the session titled “Carbon Markets and Pricing Mechanisms.” Topics discussed during the session included the functioning of carbon markets and pricing mechanisms, along with the economic dimensions of the green transition process.

In addition, the sessions on the first day of the workshop assessed the economic foundations of the Green Deal, Turkey’s adaptation strategy, and the impacts of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on Turkey’s foreign trade.

Scientific Contribution to Turkey’s Green Hydrogen Strategy from YTÜ

At the workshop, Prof. Dr. Aysel Kantürk Figen, Director of the YTÜ Institute of Clean Energy Technologies and a faculty member at Yıldız Technical University, delivered a presentation titled “Turkey’s Green Hydrogen Strategy: 2035 Production and Export Targets, Electrolyzer Technologies, and Cost Roadmap.”

The presentation addressed Turkey’s production and export targets in the field of green hydrogen, as well as the development of electrolyzer technologies and costs. The role of green hydrogen in the sustainable energy transition was one of the key topics discussed at the workshop within the framework of energy policies.

Sectoral emission reductions and the 2053 net-zero targets were evaluated

Prof. Dr. Tunç Durmaz, a faculty member of the Department of Economics at YTÜ, assessed the impacts of green transition policies on the iron and steel, cement, and aluminum sectors. Reducing carbon emissions in industry and the sectors’ adaptation to the transition process were among the workshop’s key topics.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebru Koca Akkaya, a faculty member of the Department of Environmental Engineering at YTÜ, presented on “Turkey’s 2053 Net-Zero Roadmap: Sectoral Emission Reduction Scenarios, Policy Conditionality, and International Cooperation,” in which she addressed policy options for Turkey’s long-term climate goals.

With contributions from YTÜ academics, various fields—ranging from green hydrogen technologies to industrial emission reductions and national climate goals—were evaluated within a scientific and policy-oriented framework.

Turkey’s 2053 net-zero roadmap was discussed

The workshop, which featured contributions from 29 scientists representing a total of 14 universities and institutions, consisted of six sessions. Alignment with the Green Deal, the impacts of SKDM on foreign trade, carbon markets and pricing mechanisms, renewable energy, energy storage, smart grids, the green hydrogen economy, industrial decarbonization, clean technology innovation, and green finance were comprehensively addressed.