The Izmir Citizens’ Assembly for Climate completed its 4th session on October 19, 2025.
At the Izmir Citizens’ Assembly for Climate, the first of its kind in Turkey, Izmir residents directly affected by the climate crisis are sharing their experiences; With the support of experts and facilitators, proposals are being compiled at each table; these citizen proposals emerging from the tables will be transformed into an official report at the end of the process and shared with the public. All discussions are anonymous; criticisms and support are freely expressed.
Sessions
- Session – September 7, 2025 At the first session held on September 7, 2025, citizens randomly selected from different ages, genders, professions, and districts came together to develop feasible solutions to the climate crisis in Izmir. At the opening, Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay emphasized the municipality’s full support for the process. Throughout the session, the council’s procedures and rules for collaborative work were shared; participants shared their experiences and observations, jointly framing the city’s fundamental climate-related problem areas and priorities. This established a common ground that will serve as the basis for concrete proposals to be developed in light of scientific data and local experiences, as well as for the official report to be prepared at the end of the process.
- Session – September 21, 2025 | Nature-Based Solutions & Green Spaces
During the second session held on September 21, 2025, council members focused on the theme of “Nature-Based Solutions and Green Spaces.” Following the expert presentation, a question-and-answer session was held with questions directed at the expert. In the subsequent table discussions, facilitated by moderators, concrete solution proposals based on nature-based approaches to combat extreme heat and the climate crisis in Izmir were developed. At the end of the day, these proposals were prioritized and transformed into a final list of 10 items. - Session – October 5, 2025 | Water Management
In the third session held on October 5, 2025, council members focused on the theme of “Water Management”. Following the expert presentation, a question-and-answer session was held. During the subsequent table discussions, facilitated by moderators, concrete solution proposals for water management in Izmir were developed and, by the end of the day, these proposals were prioritized and converted into a final list of 10 items. Thus, together with the “Nature-Based Solutions and Green Spaces” outcomes from the second session, a total of 20 proposals were put forward. - Session – October 19, 2025 | Health
In the fourth session held on October 19, 2025, council members focused on the theme of “Health”. Following the expert presentation, a Q&A session was held with questions directed at the expert. This was followed by table discussions where, with the support of facilitators, concrete solution proposals were developed regarding the relationship between health and climate in Izmir. At the end of the day, these proposals were prioritized and converted into a final list of 10 items. Thus, together with the outputs of the second and third sessions, a total of 30 proposals were put forward. - Session – November 2, 2025 | Prioritization and Integration
At this session on November 2, 2025, the Assembly will review the 30 solution proposals presented in the previous 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sessions and select 10 priority proposals. With this selection, the Assembly aims to clarify the priority areas based on technical evaluation and collective wisdom and to initiate the necessary steps to integrate the selected 10 proposals into the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s Climate Action Plan and the 2032 Carbon Neutral Izmir target.
