News Lounge | Turkish expert highlights China's geothermal energy use

By Wang Gaofei, Chen Su, Liu Muqi

(ECNS) -- China's use of geothermal energy offers a practical way to promote harmony between humanity and nature, a Turkish expert said Thursday.

Şule Perinçek, chairman of the Executive Board at USMER, made the remarks at the China-Türkiye Dialogue on Ecological Civilization and Green Transition held in Istanbul during the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which opened on Tuesday in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.

The dialogue was co-hosted by China News Service and the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and co-organized by China News Network and the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (PRCEE).

This marks the second multilateral event of China News Service's News Lounge series held in Türkiye. Representatives from government departments, research institutions, enterprises and media organizations of China and Türkiye attended the dialogue.

Speaking at the dialogue, Perinçek cited China's integration of geothermal resources into eco-city projects. She explained how the system works: underground hot water is first used to heat residential buildings, then supplied to agricultural greenhouses before being reinjected underground through closed-loop systems.

She said this integrated approach connects residential and agricultural needs while offering ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce resource waste.

She also pointed to China's exploration of smart mining, the transformation of mining sites and the application of artificial intelligence, noting that technological innovation can create more opportunities for efficient resource use and green development.

Discussing the relationship between environmental protection and economic development, Perinçek said ecological resources represent an important form of economic wealth and provide a foundation for sustainable development.

She argued that environmental protection should go beyond pollution control and become an integral part of economic and cultural development. She said that while expanding production and improving living standards, societies must also reconsider their production and consumption patterns to reduce unnecessary resource consumption and energy waste.

Perinçek stressed that achieving harmony between humanity and nature requires science-based governance, effective public policies and broad public support. Countries should pursue sustainable development pathways that balance resource use, environmental protection and people's well-being, she said.

"We all live beneath one and the same sky," Perinçek said, emphasizing that environmental challenges cannot be addressed by any single country or region alone.

She called for stronger international cooperation and exchanges of knowledge, technology and expertise to address shared environmental challenges and advance sustainable development.