Turkey Fires: What You Need to Know

On Wednesday, 28th of July, the southern coastline of Turkey began experiencing hundreds of wildfires that are believed to have originated from a heatwave caused by climate change.

Since then, the country has had more than 136,000 hectares (525 square miles) burned across 32 provinces, which accumulates to three times the yearly average. Several nearby countries, such as Croatia, Ukraine, Russia and Iran have sent aid in the form of equipment and workforce to help put the fires out.

In addition to battling wildfires for two weeks, Turkey is now fighting recent floods in the north. The area is prone to flooding in the summer, but the cause of these inundations was a rare heavy rainfall that is predicted to continue.

The natural disasters have forced thousands of residents to evacuate the areas and their villages by sea after their homes were destroyed. The incidents have resulted in some casualties and hundreds of citizens being injured.

The United Nations climate panel has recently announced that climate disturbance is promised to be around for decades after the world’s greenhouse gas levels reached a new high.

Furthermore, these natural disasters come after Turkey recorded its highest temperature since 1961, 41.1°C in the southeast. The nation has yet to accept the Paris Climate Accord, an agreement that aims to slow down the global temperature from rising.

Bibliography

Akgul, Y. (2021, August 8) Mass evacuations as Greek fires rage, but Turkey saved by the rain [Photograph] France24. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210807-mass-evacuations-as-greek-fires-rage-but-turkey-saved-by-the-rain

N.A. (2021, August 3) Fires Rage in Turkey. Earth Observatory. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148650/fires-rage-in-turkey

N.A. (2021, August 11) Floods hit Turkey’s north after south ravaged by fires. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/11/floods-hit-turkeys-north-after-south-ravaged-by-wildfires

N.A. (2021, August 1) Antalya, Mugla wildfires continue as Turkey puts out dozens. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/1/antalya-mugla-wildfires-rage-on-as-turkey-puts-out-dozens