Turkish president warns climate change threatens humanity like war, pandemics

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday 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.

“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.

Highlighting the international reach of Türkiye’s environmental efforts, Erdoğan said the Zero Waste Movement has evolved into a global environmental mobilization recognized by the UN.

The president said projects and practices implemented under the initiative have generated substantial economic and environmental benefits.

“With the projects and practices implemented through the Zero Waste Movement, we have contributed a total of 365 billion Turkish liras to our economy,” he said.

The initiative has also helped save significant natural resources, Erdoğan said.

“We have achieved savings of 2 trillion liters of water, 270 billion kilowatt-hours of energy, 60 billion liters of oil, and 390 million cubic meters of landfill space,” he added.

The Turkish president also pointed to steady progress in recycling and resource recovery efforts.

“Our recovery rate, which stood at 13% in 2017, rose to 37.53% in 2025. We will increase this rate to 60% by 2035 and to 70% by 2053,” he said.