The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for the environment, public works, and urban planning in Turkey. The ministry is headed by Murat Kurum.

History

The Ministry was formed in 1983 through the merger of the Ministry of Public Works (, formed 3 May 1920) and the Ministry of Development and Housing (, formed 1958). The result was the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, which was renamed to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation in 2011. In 2021 climate change was added to the name.

Organization

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change is headed by a Minister who is appointed by the President of Turkey. The ministry has several departments and agencies, including the General Directorate of Environmental Management, the General Directorate of Environmental Impact Assessment, the General Directorate of Spatial Planning, the General Directorate of Environmental Education and Public Participation, and the General Directorate of Climate Change.

Responsibilities

The ministry is responsible for combating climate change in Turkey, and environmental issues in Turkey. Despite the Energy Ministry being represented on the Climate Change and Air Management Coordination Board, in 2018 the European Commission criticised the lack of co-ordination between the climate change policy and energy policy of Turkey. the chief climate change envoy is Mehmet Emin Birpınar, a Deputy Minister of Environment. According to the ministry the 2018 building standards amnesty raised 24 billion lira (4.2 billion USD), however as of 2023 it is not yet known what proportion of the buildings that collapsed in the 2023 quake had benefitted from building standards amnesties. After the 2023 earthquake President Erdoğan decreed that the ministry would be the only decision maker for new housing projects in earthquake-hit areas. A National Environment Agency was established in 2020 but by 2022 had not become operational.