Coal, concrete and fossil-fueled promises: Meet Turkey's COP31 sponsors - Turkey Unfolding

Coal, concrete and fossil-fueled promises: Meet Turkey’s COP31 sponsors

Turkey's COP31 climate summit named major coal, oil, and mining companies as partners despite their fossil fuel operations and histories of environmental controversy

November 2, 2026

An aerial view of construction work at the EXPO 2016 site in Antalya ahead of the COP31 climate summit. Approximately 150,000 square meters of agricultural land nearby was paved for parking facilities, according to Antalya Körfez. Photo: Antalya Körfez

Some of Turkey’s largest companies involved in coal power, oil refining, mining, and environmentally disputed construction projects have secured prominent roles at COP31, the United Nations climate summit scheduled to begin in Antalya on Nov. 9.

Koç Holding, Sabancı Holding, Cengiz Holding, Limak Holding, and IC Holding are among the companies officially associated with the conference, alongside financial institutions with histories of financing fossil fuel projects and construction companies facing environmental opposition.

Their involvement has raised questions about the selection of corporate partners for a summit intended to accelerate global action against climate change, particularly as some of the companies continue operating coal-fired power plants or pursuing new fossil fuel projects.

The official COP31 website lists Koç Holding as its Global Business Partner, Sabancı Holding as its Electrification Partner, and Cengiz Holding as an implementation partner. Limak Holding, IC Holding, Rönesans Holding, and Sinpaş appear among its climate supporters.

Climate researcher Önder Algedik told Turkey Unfolding that the corporate lineup reflected two interconnected groups: companies directly involved in fossil fuels and those supplying the infrastructure that supports fossil fuel extraction, production, and consumption.

“When we look at COP31’s sponsors, two characteristics stand out. First, these companies are fossil fuel companies. Second, they are fossil fuel infrastructure companies,” Algedik said.

An official promotional image for COP31, scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey, from Nov. 9 to 20, 2026. Photo:Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change

The 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place from Nov. 9 to 20, with Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum serving as conference president and Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen leading negotiations.

Koç Holding: Oil refining and weakened climate targets

Koç Holding, one of Turkey’s largest industrial conglomerates, occupies a top-tier position at COP31 as its Global Business Partner.

The group controls Tüpraş, Turkey’s largest oil refiner, which operates four refineries producing petrol, diesel, jet fuel, and other petroleum products.

Koç also has substantial interests in vehicle manufacturing, including its automotive businesses and joint ventures, linking the conglomerate to both the production and consumption of petroleum-based fuels.

An investigation published by Climate Home News on Oct. 21 found that Koç Holding and Tüpraş weakened their emissions reduction targets in 2025 while continuing to rely heavily on oil refining.

Both companies reduced their targets for cutting emissions from their own operations by 2030 from 27 percent to 20 percent below 2017 levels. Tüpraş also lowered its 2035 target from 35 percent to 25 percent.

According to the investigation, Koç’s energy division, dominated by Tüpraş, generated approximately three-quarters of the group’s income in the first half of 2026.

The group’s indirect emissions from the use of products it sells, including petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel, accounted for approximately 97 percent of its carbon footprint. These emissions increased by roughly one-sixth between 2019 and 2024, while neither Koç Holding nor Tüpraş established a reduction target covering them.

Tüpraş’s updated transition plan commits to maintaining its existing oil-refining capacity and operating its facilities at maximum potential.

The company has also announced investments in renewable electricity, sustainable aviation fuel, and green hydrogen. It attributes revisions to its transition plans to market conditions, technological developments, and slower-than-expected progress in some low-carbon technologies.

Koç Holding announced its COP31 partnership as an opportunity to contribute its industrial experience and sustainability expertise to international climate action.

For climate campaigners, however, the company’s central position at the summit raises questions about whether an industrial group whose earnings depend heavily on petroleum refining should receive such prominent recognition.

Sabancı Holding: A coal plant opened two days after the Paris Agreement signing

Sabancı Holding serves as COP31’s Electrification Partner, despite its continuing involvement in electricity generation from coal and natural gas.

Through Enerjisa Üretim, the group has interests in the 450-megawatt Tufanbeyli lignite power plant in the southern province of Adana.

The plant provides a striking example of the tension between Turkey’s international climate commitments and its domestic energy policies.

On April 22, 2016, Turkey signed the Paris Agreement at the United Nations headquarters in New York, joining an international commitment to limit global temperature increases.

Two days later, on April 24, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated the Tufanbeyli coal-fired power plant alongside then-Sabancı Holding Chair Güler Sabancı.

The ceremony was also attended by then-Environment and Urbanization Minister Fatma Güldemet Sarı, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, and other senior government officials.

The Adana Governor’s Office described Tufanbeyli at th