Ümit Şahin is Senior Scholar and the Coordinator of Climate Change Studies at Istanbul Policy Center. Şahin teaches courses on Global Environmental Challenges, Climate Change and Environmental Politics at Sabanci University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Since the early 1990s, Şahin has been part of the green political movement and climate, ecology and environmental movements, and an active contributor to anti-nuclear and human rights movements. Şahin was the editor-in-chief of the green political journal “Üç Ekoloji” (Three Ecologies) that he has founded in 2003.
Şahin is one of the founders of the Association of the Doctors for the Environment, serving as the organization’s president, Şahin coordinated the “Turkey sign Kyoto!” campaign, which was carried out by Turkey’s Green Party, for whom he was one of the founders and served as co-spokesperson between 2010 and 2012. He also has participated as an observer to the UNFCCC Climate Conferences (COPs) since 2008. He served as a member of Steering Committee of the Istanbul City Council.
Together with Ömer Madra, Şahin has been the producer and host of the “Açık Yeşil” (Open Green) radio program on Açık Radio since 2008. In addition, he edits and writes on climate change and environmental issues for “Yeşil Gazete” (Green Newspaper).
Şahin authored and edited several books, such as “Why We Can’t Wait: Global Warming and Climate Crisis”, 2007 (with Ömer Madra, as interviewer and editor), “Green Economy”, 2012 (as co-editor with Ahmet Atıl Aşıcı), Open Green 1 - An Ecology Guide with Its Theory and Practice, 2019, and Open Green 2 - Climate Crisis, Politics, and Activism, 2020 (as co-author with Ömer Madra). Şahin has also several book chapters, policy papers and articles related to climate change, energy transition, environmental health, green politics, and human rights.
Ümit Şahin graduated from Cerrahpaşa Medical School in 1991, completed his Master of Public Health in Hebrew University and received his Ph.D. degree in public health from Istanbul Univeresity in 2000. His public health works has focused on environmental health.