We sit down with Ümit Şahin—physician, public health scholar, and long-time climate advocate—as he traces his journey from medical school to air pollution research and climate policy, showing why health is the most human lens for energy choices. He dismantles the idea that nuclear can deliver on time or at scale, pointing to rising costs, long lead times, and unresolved waste, while renewables and efficiency deliver rapid, affordable cuts now.
We dig into discourse power: how calling fossil fuels “hydrocarbons” sanitises harm, how “unabated” creates loopholes, and how the term “sustainability” drifted from survival ethics to a growth-friendly label.
Then we turn to COP politics. With shifting geopolitics and frayed multilateralism, COP31 in Turkey emerges as a crucial mitigation COP. Ümit outlines a focused playbook: push an explicit fossil fuels transition, accelerate electrification of transport and heat, tighten 2030 targets aligned with 1.5 degrees, and audit false solutions against costs and timelines.
He calls for disciplined framing, health-forward benefits that voters feel, and cross-border collaboration between Turkish NGOs and the global movement. We close on urgency with hope, inspired by youth leadership that turns climate from a future worry into a present demand.
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