As the New Climate Champion, Samed Ağırbaş Wants Less Waste, More Inclusion

With COP31 set to take place in Türkiye later this year, the incoming Climate High-Level Champion, Samed Ağırbaş brings a perspective that is rare in international diplomacy. His journey spans humble beginnings in Istanbul, to President of the Zero Waste Foundation, to one of the most visible roles in global climate action.

That journey, Ağırbaş says, has shaped how he sees climate change: it cannot be about abstract policy frameworks. Instead, it is about whether families can afford food or have access to renewable energy. Whether farmers can rely on the seasons. Whether cities can provide clean water and stable jobs, especially for people on the margins. It is also about opportunity – who has it, and who is denied it.

As Champion, Ağırbaş will help guide the Global Climate Action Agenda which coordinates more than 480 climate initiatives across energy and transport, agriculture, forests, finance, city resilience, and beyond.

In his first interview as Climate High-Level Champion, Ağırbaş reflects on the experiences that shaped him, the voices the climate process still needs to hear, and how a Zero Waste mindset can help accelerate implementation across the Action Agenda.

Why did you accept the invitation to become the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion?

I accepted the role because it offers an opportunity to bring inclusivity and a people-centred approach to the international climate process. As Champion, my job is to listen to underrepresented voices and the perspectives of cities, businesses, civil society and youth. This is how we ensure that the solutions being prioritized will make a difference in people’s lives.

Growing up, like many young people, my priority was simply to earn a living and support my family. Survival and responsibility were my focus. I know what it means to work hard and still face barriers, and I also understand how life-changing it can be to receive – or be denied – opportunity. Later as a youth leader at Istanbul City Hall, I saw first-hand how collective effort can improve living standards and create pathways for those who might otherwise be excluded. This is how we can make a difference for the communities most impacted by the climate crisis.

COP31 will be held in Türkiye. Which climate realities or voices are missing from the global conversation and how can COP31 better engage them?

Many people associate Türkiye and our region with its rich history and cultural diversity. But it is also a region where humanity and nature have coexisted closely together for thousands of years. I would like us to return to the spirit of living in harmony with nature, and placing nature at the heart of every decision.

To do that, we need to include underrepresented voices like the urban poor, people from modest backgrounds – like myself – as well as persons with disabilities, faith-based communities and informal workers. We must also continue to listen to Indigenous Peoples, and those with a long tradition of working the land. Young people are also critical voices because they have the most to lose and the greatest stake in transforming how we consume resources and treat our one and only home on planet earth.

What makes climate change feel real to you?

Türkiye is one of the top seven agricultural producers in the world – with crops ranging from cucumbers and tomatoes, to hazelnuts and apricots. Even as a child, I understood the significance of local farms and their relationship to food security and preventing hunger. Climate-induced droughts, extreme weather, and sea-level rise have disrupted the rhythm of planting and harvesting and are threatening livelihoods around the world.

Türkiye is blessed with fertile land, yet we are also facing increasingly erratic weather patterns and year-on-year record-breaking temperatures. I have seen crops fail, water sources diminish, and families pushed into serious vulnerability.

What are some of your priorities as COP31 Climate High-Level Champion?

My priorities are inclusivity and a people-centered approach along with tackling food loss, hunger, waste reduction and water and energy efficiency. At the core of all this are Zero Waste principles of resource preservation, efficiency and circularity.

I also want to work with my fellow Climate High-Level Champion Dan Ioschpe to build on the work that has already been done. Hundreds of initiatives are part of the Global Climate Action Agenda. Many of them now have clear Plans to Accelerate Solutions in specific areas – from buildings and power grids to water, health, steel and nature. These plans start with a practical question: what is stopping this solution from scaling today? Is it policy? Finance? Skills? Market demand? Then they bring together the right partners to remove those barriers.

That’s the kind of approach I want to strengthen: more focus on what unlocks progress. Zero Waste fits naturally into this. It helps us to incentivise business innovation, encourage responsible consumption and protect livelihoods, including for waste pickers and informal workers. Above all, it demonstrates that environmental protection can be both inclusive and economically sound.

Zero Waste is associated in many people’s minds with recycling and rubbish. How does it connect to the broader Climate Action Agenda – and to your role as Champion?

The Global Climate Action Agenda is organized around six thematic axes, each with specific objectives. Zero Waste thinking has something to contribute to every single one of those themes.

Take food and agriculture: Food loss and waste accounts for 8–10% of global emissions – nearly five times the aviation sector. The Acton Agenda has specific objectives on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and tackling hunger. Zero Waste thinking connects all three: reducing what is lost between farm and plate, improving how we use water and soil, and shifting towards regenerative practices that build healthy land rather than depleting it.

When it comes to nature and biodiversity, waste – from plastics to agricultural run-off – undermines the ecosystems we need to protect and restore. That directly underpins Action Agenda objectives like restoring degraded land and preserving coastal systems.

Zero Wwaste also means energy and materials efficiency, a core part of the solutions set for transitioning energy and industry. When power systems, buildings and transport networks are designed to minimise energy use and energy loss, that is Zero Waste in practice. And it critically works alongside the longer term energy transition.

These are all ways that Zero Waste principles and approaches align with priority climate solutions, and it is exactly where I can help accelerate the Action Agenda.

How has Zero Waste shaped your thinking about scaling climate action through the Action Agenda?

One thing Zero Waste has taught me is that behaviour change can take time: some progress takes decades and requires sustained policy and consistent implementation. Other times we can speed up progress through innovation and market-based strategies that accelerate impact in 1-2 years.

It is a great honour for me to lead the Zero Waste Foundation under the visionary leadership of Her Excellency the First Lady Emine Erdoğan, where together with my colleagues and partners we are working to translate the ambition of zero waste into practical, real-world solutions.

I’m hoping to bring the lessons I’ve learned from Zero Waste to help speed up delivery of the Action Agenda, incentivising businesses and industry to become more efficient, and motivating individuals to take action. Together we can truly move mountains.