Kocaeli to Present Environmental Projects at COP31 Climate Summit in Antalya

Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality will present the city’s environmental and climate projects to international participants at the COP31 Climate Summit hosted by Türkiye in Antalya. Four panels will cover the İzmit Gulf Deep Sediment Cleanup Project, the SWAP Initiative and Zero Waste Cities programme, the Kocaeli Logistics Village, and IZAYDAŞ’s fluorinated gas recovery applications.

The İzmit Gulf sediment cleanup, described as one of Europe’s largest environmental remediation projects, will be discussed in a panel on 12 November titled “Resurrection from the Depths.” Officials will address seabed cleaning, marine ecosystem restoration, biodiversity recovery, and cooperation between central and local government to protect the Sea of Marmara.

“We are at COP31 with our determination to make Kocaeli, the capital of industry, also a pioneer city of green transformation and ecological restoration.”

On 11 November, a panel titled “From Local to Global Circularity: SWAP Initiative and Zero Waste Cities” will examine knowledge sharing among pilot cities, zero-waste financing, and local implementation of national policies. Kocaeli is the pilot city for the SWAP Initiative, supported by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme.

A Green Zone panel on 15 November will focus on turning the Middle Corridor into a green and climate-resilient logistics centre through the Kocaeli Logistics Village. Discussions will cover shifting freight from road to rail and sea, port-rail-industry integration, and digital cargo management.

IZAYDAŞ will host another Green Zone panel on 15 November on recovering and treating fluorinated greenhouse gases and their climate impact. The municipality has also built a 49-square-metre digital experience stand in the Green Zone inspired by Osman Hamdi Bey’s Eskihisar paintings, featuring a 3.20-metre data sculpture where visitors can explore the İzmit Gulf’s ecological structure.

Mayor Tahir Büyükakın said Kocaeli is determined to be a pioneer city not only in industry but also in green transformation and ecological restoration. Kocaeli Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Provincial Director Mesut Önem will present the sediment cleanup project, while Environment Protection and Control Department Head Birol Balcı will represent the municipality at the summit.