Üsküdar University Environment Forum translated the text titled “World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: Third Declaration” into Turkish, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which Türkiye will host in Antalya from November 9–20, 2026.
The declaration, prepared by an international group of scientists including William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, and Johan Rockström, and accepted for publication in BioScience journal, highlights that life on Earth is in a “planetary emergency”.
Environmental Degradation Continues Since the First Warning
The declaration is a continuation of the first warning, published in 1992 with the signatures of approximately 1700 scientists, and the second warning, signed by over 15,000 scientists from 184 countries in 2017.
Scientists state that environmental problems have continued to worsen in the approximately ten years since the second warning, and describe the current stage with these words:
“We are no longer approaching a planetary emergency; we are living within it.”
Seven of Nine Planetary Boundaries Exceeded
The prominent findings of the declaration are as follows:
Seven of the nine planetary boundaries have been exceeded: Climate change, biosphere integrity, land-system change, freshwater use, nitrogen and phosphorus flows, novel entities (human-made chemicals), and most recently ocean acidification are beyond safe limits.
Critical thresholds: Tipping points for the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets may have already been crossed; the Amazon rainforest and mountain glaciers are also at risk.
Hopeful signs: Renewable energy surpassed coal in global electricity production for the first time in over a century. The partial recovery of the ozone layer shows what can be achieved when science meets political will.
Six calls for transformation: Rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, protection and restoration of nature, alignment of the economy with planetary boundaries, reduction of overconsumption in affluent societies, sustainable food systems, and social justice.
Climate justice: While those who contributed least to the crisis pay the heaviest price, the responsibility and capacity to act are concentrated in high-income countries, among the wealthiest segments, and large corporations.
“This Warning is Directly About Our Future”
Prof. İbrahim Özdemir, President of Üsküdar University Environmental Ethics Platform, who accompanied the translation with a comprehensive introductory article, drew attention to the importance of the declaration for Türkiye and stated the following:
“Türkiye is located in the Mediterranean basin, one of the regions most intensely affected by the climate crisis and warming faster than the global average. Forest fires, droughts, drying lakes, and increasing sinkholes in the Konya Plain are reflections of the global trends described in the declaration.”
Türkiye can be a pioneer in advocating for climate justice
Özdemir, pointing to the importance of COP31, which will be held in Antalya, for Türkiye, continued as follows:
“Our role as host in Antalya must go beyond successfully managing an organization. Türkiye can be a pioneer that takes the scientific warning seriously and advocates for climate justice. With this translation, we want policymakers, academics, civil society, the media, and especially young people to access this common voice in their own language.”
“Transformation is Not Possible with Technology Alone”
Prof. İbrahim Özdemir, who also evaluated the ethical dimension of the declaration, used the following expressions:
“Scientists define raising their voice as a moral obligation and acknowledge that transformation is possible not only with technology but with a change in values and worldviews. For our civilization, which views the universe as a trust and considers moderation and avoidance of waste as the foundation of ethics, this conclusion is not at all foreign.”
The full Turkish text of the declaration, along with Prof. İbrahim Özdemir's introductory article, original figures, and a translator's note containing terminology explanations, is available for free access. The public version of the declaration is also open for signatures from citizens around the world.
