Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the climate issue 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,” Erdogan said at the gala dinner of the Zero Waste Forum in Istanbul on Sunday.
“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, Erdogan said the Zero Waste Movement has evolved into a global environmental mobilisation recognised 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, Erdogan said.
“We have achieved savings of 2 trillion litres of water, 270 billion kilowatt-hours of energy, 60 billion litres 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 percent in 2017, rose to 37.53 percent in 2025. We will increase this rate to 60 percent by 2035 and to 70 percent by 2053,” he said.
