Call for an 'Ecological Constitution'

While attacks on nature and living spaces in Turkey have been increasing day by day in recent years, and colonial mining practices have brought citizens to the point of rebellion, a transition process from "environmental" rights to the "rights of nature" has begun in the world...

While countries like Greece and Bhutan have declared 60 percent of their forests "untouchable," some countries like Colombia have introduced very serious restrictions on mining.

The world is debating an "Ecological Constitution"... And precisely in the shadow of these debates, the Istanbul Bar Association hosted a very remarkable international symposium...

At the international symposium held between June 5-6, 2026, under the title "Constitutionalism in the Age of Global Ecological Challenges," academics and representatives of non-governmental organizations from all over the world once again cried out from Istanbul, "Do not touch my water, my soil, and my air." Of course, this outcry was made through scientific presentations, speeches, and visuals supporting these speeches.

Istanbul Bar Association President Attorney Prof. Dr. İbrahim Ö. Kaboğlu, who played a major role in the organization and delivered the opening speech, said that global ecological problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and large-scale environmental degradation have now become the primary problems of the world. Drawing attention to the recent attacks on the natural environment in the world and, of course, in Turkey, Kaboğlu emphasized that the principle of protecting a country's forests, streams, and soil should become unchangeable provisions of constitutions.

Stating that ecological problems and the increasingly violent attacks on natural life are reshaping politics, the legal system, and institutional structures, Prof. Dr. Kaboğlu pointed out that there is also pressure on existing constitutions at this point. Kaboğlu emphasized that ecological destruction makes a structural change in constitutions mandatory due to its negative effects on the "right to life," which is the most fundamental right of all living beings.

In the international symposium attended by academics, civil society representatives, and lawyers from Poland, Italy, Nigeria, France, Vietnam, Austria, Mexico, Canada, the USA, Indonesia, Greece, Spain, and Turkey, it was stated that states need a new environmental contract to prevent these ecological disasters.

US Academic James May said that while 64 articles on environmental issues were written in the US in 1975, over a thousand articles and research papers are now published every year, and this situation shows that ecological crises are a significant problem in the US as they are all over the world.

Ankara Faculty of Law Faculty Member and President of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL) Prof. Dr. Selin Esen pointed out that the right to the environment is an extension of human rights, while President of the International Center for Comparative Environmental Law (CIDCE) Prof. Dr. Michel Prieur stated that the climate crisis is a serious problem and that he trusts young people in determining environmental law. President of the Constitutional Law Research Association (Anayasa-Der) Prof. Dr. Didem Yılmaz stated that global economic crises increase the struggle for existence among people.

On the second day of the symposium, in the session held under the title "Environmental Justice and Defense," I also gave a presentation titled "An Analytical Look at Ecocide Practices That Increasingly Intensify the Violence of Neoliberalism in the Light of the İliç-Çöpler Disaster." You can watch and listen to the entirety of this presentation from the link below, on the Istanbul Bar Association's X account, or on my X account...

https://x.com/istbarosu/status/2063221670857281896

Following the two-day symposium, a final declaration titled "CONSTITUTIONALISM AND THE AGE OF GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES" was also published.

In the final declaration, which states that all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, are universal, indivisible, and interdependent, it was emphasized that states are responsible for ensuring these rights and freedoms under constitutional protection in the age of global ecological challenges.

The declaration, which points out that companies and institutions must respect the right of citizens and all living beings in that country to live in a clean and healthy environment, emphasized that environmental destruction is an issue directly related to human rights and highlighted United Nations resolutions on a healthy and sustainable environment.

The declaration, which emphasizes that constitutions have evolved into "democratic constitutions" over time and that they must now evolve into "ecological constitutions," stated that the environmental state of law should be strengthened through constitutional courts.

The declaration, which points out that an ecological constitution that also includes the rights of nature should be created, supported efforts to recognize "ecocide" as an international crime at the United Nations General Assembly and emphasized that the crime of ecocide should be included in the international protocol being prepared regarding environmental crimes.

İbrahim Gündüz