President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 7 warned that climate change poses a grave threat to humanity, comparing its impact to that of war and global pandemics, while highlighting the achievements of Türkiye’s “Zero Waste” initiative.
“The climate issue is a serious problem that threatens all of humanity, just like war and global pandemics,” Erdoğan said at the gala dinner of the Zero Waste Forum in Istanbul.
He said climate and production-related problems, from air pollution and food contamination to food shortages, waste management and natural disasters, are triggering one another in a “butterfly effect.”
Erdoğan said the impact of these problems is being felt more strongly each year across a wide range of sectors, including energy, transport, health, agriculture and livestock.
He said the issue should be addressed as a climate crisis rather than merely climate change, adding that a clear definition of the problem would help produce more rational solutions.
“We are living in an era where artificial intelligence and new technologies are speeding up production, while unconscious consumption habits are wearing down nature,” he added.
The president also criticized what he described as global inequality in the face of the climate crisis.
“The countries that have the largest share in deepening the climate crisis are also those least affected by this crisis,” Erdoğan said.
“On one side, millions of people are struggling under harsh conditions to find a piece of bread to eat and a sip of water to drink, while on the other, luxury and waste continue in all their recklessness.”
Citing a U.N. World Food Program report, Erdoğan said 43 million children worldwide are currently gripped by hunger.
He said one-third of food produced annually, or 1.3 billion tons, is wasted, while more than 3 million children die every year from hunger-related diseases.
Erdoğan said the waste problem also poses a major global threat.
He pointed to the “garbage continent” in the northern Pacific Ocean, which he said was highlighted by first lady Emine Erdoğan at the opening of the forum, describing it as a “truly frightening example” of the scale of the problem.
The area, made up of tons of waste and plastic, covers 1.6 million square kilometers, he said.
“The data we have shows that this problem will deepen rather than diminish,” Erdoğan said, adding that global solid waste, which stood at 2.1 billion tons in 2023, is expected to rise to 3.8 billion tons by 2050 if no measures are taken.
Erdoğan said the forum, held at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport, addressed key issues ranging from the circular economy and climate-friendly production models to turning waste into economic value and improving resource efficiency.
He noted that the event brought together more than 120 ministers from 183 countries, over 200 mayors and more than 500 international stakeholders.
“With the participation of more than 5,000 people, from youth organizations to the private sector, from civil society groups to policymakers, academics and decision-makers, this forum is a clear indication of the high level Türkiye has reached in environmental diplomacy,” Erdoğan said.
He said the forum was also important because it focused not only on theoretical discussions, but also on concrete, applicable and measurable solutions.
