COP31 Climate High-Level Champion: Türkiye Appoints Samed Ağırbaş
By: Abudu Olalekan
Boom. Just like that — Türkiye drops a name you probably haven’t heard before. But you’re gonna hear it a lot now.
Samed Ağırbaş? Yeah. Him.
Appointed Saturday, January 24, 2026 — by Murat Kurum, who’s basically running the whole COP31 show later this year in Antalya. Official title? Climate High-Level Champion. Fancy, right? But don’t let the title fool you. This ain’t just another suit in a conference room sipping mineral water. This is boots-on-the-ground energy. Real-deal stuff.
While diplomats haggle over commas in policy drafts (seriously, they do), Ağırbaş? He’s out there working with mayors, CEOs, activists, investors — the folks actually building solar grids, redesigning trash systems, planting forests where concrete used to be. You know — the people making climate action happen, not just talk about it.
He’ll be steering something called the Global Climate Action Agenda. Also tied into the Marrakech Partnership thingy — which sounds bureaucratic but is actually kinda cool. It links all those grassroots, city-level, startup-driven climate wins back into the big UN machine. Like plugging street-level hustle into global policy. Neat trick if you can pull it off.
And he’s not flying solo. He’s teaming up with Dan Ioschpe — last year’s champ from COP30. Think of ‘em as climate tag-team partners. One hands off the baton, next one sprints harder.
Murat Kurum — Turkey’s Environment and Climate Minister, also COP31 President-Designate — didn’t hold back: “Congrats to him. I truly believe he’ll make major waves for COP31.” Not exactly Shakespeare, but hey — sincerity counts more than sonnets here.
Who even is this guy?
Chairman of the Zero Waste Foundation in Türkiye. President of the Zero Waste Forum. Big on cutting trash, greening cities, pushing youth-led biz ideas. Used to run things at Istanbul’s Youth Assembly. Worked with UN-Habitat too. So yeah — he’s got both the street cred and the UN badge. Rare combo.
Simon Stiell — head honcho at UNFCCC — put it bluntly: “Ağırbaş gets how governments tick and how real-world projects roll. That mix? Critical. People don’t care about CO2 stats. They care about clean air. Jobs. Power that doesn’t cost a kidney. Healthier kids. He connects climate to that.”
Smart framing. Because let’s be honest — most folks zone out when you say “Paris Agreement Article 6.” But say “cleaner streets, cheaper energy, safer neighborhoods”? Now you’ve got their attention.
This appointment? Comes hot off the heels of COP30 — where nearly 400 climate initiatives got organized under themes like clean power, food systems, urban resilience, finance. All stuff regular humans actually experience.
COP30 wasn’t just chatter. They rolled out 120 legit action plans. Backed by serious cash. We talking:
— A trillion-dollar pipeline for modernizing energy grids.
— $6.7 billion locked in to save tropical forests (new thing called Tropical Forests Forever Facility — catchy, huh?).
— Programs shielding hundreds of millions from floods, droughts, nasty air.
Dan Ioschpe — handing over the reins — nailed it: “Climate action’s moving at economy speed now. Not policy-speed. Trillions are flowing. Fuels getting cleaner. Land getting protected. Cities breathing easier. Ağırbaş? Perfect timing. He’s stepping into a machine already revving.”
Quick history lesson? In 2015 — Paris COP — world govts created this “Champion” role. Genius idea, really. Because let’s face it — governments move slow. But businesses? Cities? Startups? Communities? They move fast. Champions bridge that gap. Two-year terms. Pass the baton. New vision every five years. Keeps things fresh. Agile. Human.
Bottom line? Ağırbaş isn’t here to give TED Talks. He’s here to get sh*t done. Connect dots. Move money. Empower mayors. Challenge CEOs. Rally youth. Make climate action feel less like homework and more like progress you can see.
And if you wanna follow along? Head over to Reportersroom. Short link. Easy. No fluff. Just facts. And maybe a typo or two — because robots don’t make mistakes. Humans do. And we’re proudly human here.
