COP31: Turkish president decries war on Gaza as ‘ecocide’

Detailed summary

'I believe that together, from Antalya, we must give voice to the shared conscience of humanity,' says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

ECOCIDE. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounces the Gaza war and calls it an ecocide.

MANILA, Philippines – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the war in Gaza as “ecocide” during the leaders’ summit at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) and called for immediate humanitarian access in the area.

“[W]hat has taken place in Gaza is not only a genocide, but it is also an ecocide,” said Erdogan on Wednesday, November 11, in Antalya.

“Centuries-old olive trees have been cut down,” Erdogan continued. “The soil and water have been polluted in Gaza. And cities in Gaza have been turned into enormous piles of rubble.”

Leaders and advocates around the world have congregated in Antalya, Turkey, for the annual climate summit to discuss climate action, such as electrification targets and finance mechanisms to adapt to the effects of the crisis.

“No one who sees, who knows of, or who witnesses such a shameful picture for humanity can possibly escape responsibility,” the Turkish president said. “I believe that, together, from Antalya, we must give voice to the shared conscience of humanity.”

Turkey and Australia are co-hosting the COP this year. The United States, the world’s biggest polluter, did not send a delegation to Turkey.

The Israel foreign ministry responded by saying Erdogan is pushing his “anti-Israel campaign of lies.”

The annual climate summit is happening in the backdrop of the oil crisis that had raised prices of basic goods around the world. Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian likewise brought up the Iran war and the massive environmental damage they are enduring.

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