Turkey is a leading country in its region in the use of renewable energy sources. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at the climate summit at the UN headquarters.

“Currently, we receive more than 30% of electricity from renewable energy sources,” the Turkish head of state said.

According to Erdogan, Turkey intends to raise this mark to 39% by 2023.

He added that in order to minimize the risk of natural disasters, “climate-sensitive and energy-efficient cities” are being formed in Turkey.

The use of plastic bags in Turkey has decreased by 3-4 times, Erdogan said.

“We have reduced the use of plastic bags by 3-4 times. We will also switch to the Zero Waste system in 400,000 buildings in the republic, and increase waste recycling by 35%,” the Turkish leader said.

Since January 2019, plastic bags in all stores in Turkey have become paid to reduce their use.

According to him, “Turkey is one of the few countries where forest areas are increasing.”

“We have already planted about 18 million seedlings, we will plant another 11 million in the near future in order to increase the forest area by 30%,” the president added.