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.
‘Anti-Israel campaign of lies’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.
“The recent unlawful and murderous aggression by the United States of America and the Zionist regime of Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in addition to its immense human and economic dimension, has caused serious damage to the environment, including by releasing massive volumes of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the environment, hence endangering public health,” said Pezeshkian.
US-Israeli strikes in Assalouye and in the vicinity of Tehran “have caused the emission of approximately 500,000 and 1 million tons of carbon dioxide,” according to Pezekshian. The Iranian president had previously referred to the Middle East conflict as an ecocide, the result of “wars of aggression.”
Pezekshian took the opportunity before fellow world leaders to also denounce Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Gaza is a test of human conscience and the value of international claims about justice, peace, and the protection of the environment,” Pezeshkian said.
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– Rappler.com