Turkish president urges developed nations to shoulder climate burden at COP31

Climate debt and historic responsibility

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opened the COP31 Leaders' Summit in Türkiye's southern province of Antalya on Wednesday by demanding that developed nations accept greater liability for the climate crisis, stating that those who have depleted the global carbon budget must lead emissions reductions and financing efforts. "Developed countries that have historically consumed the global carbon budget should assume greater responsibility for emissions reductions and financing," Erdoğan said, emphasizing that funding mechanisms must become more accessible, predictable and responsive to recipient nations' specific needs.

Erdoğan warned that excessive consumption had plunged humanity into one of its deepest existential crises, noting that no country remained immune to environmental destruction amid mounting challenges including global warming, biodiversity loss and threats to food security. He said Türkiye aimed to make COP31 an "implementation COP" through its partnership with Australia, reaffirming Ankara's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2053 and integrating environmental considerations into all development planning and energy security policies.

'Not only genocide but ecocide'

Turning to the Middle East, Erdoğan condemned Israel's military campaign in Gaza as an environmental catastrophe alongside its humanitarian toll, telling delegates that the destruction of centuries-old olive trees, contamination of soil and water, and the reduction of entire cities to rubble constituted a dual atrocity. "As I emphasized in my address to the UN General Assembly, what has happened in Gaza is not only a genocide but also an ecocide," he said, pointing to recent flooding that had submerged tens of thousands of tents and shelters amid destroyed infrastructure.

He described hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, particularly children, struggling to survive in winter conditions without adequate shelter or parents, stressing that no witness to the crisis could evade responsibility. "Displaying power through the suffering of Gaza's children is, quite frankly, a sign of weakness, helplessness and, above all, a lack of conscience," Erdoğan said, calling for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and an end to the enclave's isolation.

Zero Waste and summit welcome

Erdoğan welcomed foreign heads of state and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the summit, thanking Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for co-developing the COP31 partnership model and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for sharing previous presidency experiences. The opening ceremony featured a cultural performance by Anadolu Atesi showcasing folk dances from Türkiye's seven regions before leaders posed for an official family photograph.

Outlining domestic initiatives, Erdoğan noted that Türkiye's recycling rate had risen from 13% to nearly 40% since the Zero Waste launch in 2017, with targets to halve waste generation growth and expand circular material use in industry over the next decade. He said the country would pursue decarbonization across energy, industry, transportation and agriculture sectors while prioritizing ten areas including clean energy transition, food security and ocean protection.