Optimizing carbon emission mitigation strategies is critical for balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability in cities like Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. This study employs Hesitant fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (HF-MCDM) techniques to evaluate and prioritize strategies based on environmental, economic, and social criteria. Kahramanmaraş, known for its industrial activities in metal kitchenware, textiles, and agriculture, faces unique challenges and opportunities in achieving carbon reduction targets. This research aligns with Türkiye's commitments under the Paris Agreement, providing policymakers with a structured framework to identify the most effective and feasible strategies for sustainable development. More specifically, the study addresses the complexity of urban carbon mitigation planning under uncertainty by incorporating hesitant fuzzy evaluations into the decision-making process, thereby capturing the ambiguity and subjectivity inherent in expert judgments. In doing so, it develops a context-sensitive prioritization framework for a city characterized by energy-intensive production, rapid urban development, and increasing climate vulnerability. The proposed approach not only identifies the most suitable mitigation strategies, but also reveals the relative importance of environmental protection, economic feasibility, and social acceptance in local climate action planning. The findings offer practical implications for urban planners, local authorities, and industrial stakeholders by supporting more transparent, systematic, and robust policy design. In addition, the study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how hesitant fuzzy methodology can enhance strategic carbon mitigation assessments in medium-sized industrial cities facing multidimensional sustainability challenges.

Keywords

Carbon Emission Mitigation, Hesitant Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making, Sustainable Development, Environmental Management, Carbon Reduction Strategies