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Turkey can feel the effects of climate change, especially after recent extreme weather events. Experts predict that the country will experience more extreme weather events due to rising temperatures. The country’s usually warm Aegean and Mediterranean regions, in particular, will experience a further increase in temperatures during the summer.
Professor Doğanay Tolunay, a climate change expert from Istanbul University, said the two regions – stretching from Çanakkale in the north and the country’s third largest city Izmir in the west to Antalya and Muğla in the “Turkish Riviera” and Adana – will be hotter in the summers due to fallout from climate change.
He also warned of the possibility that other regions will feel the same effects, depending on their climate. Tolunay indicated that the Black Sea region will see more heavy rains as a result of its history of flooding and excessive rainfall.
He told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday that extreme weather leads to “extreme” incidents, especially in the summer. “Extreme weather triggers FloodsHeavy rainfall, hailstorms, drought forest fires. These incidents are on the rise all over the globe, and Turkey is no exception. Last year was the most destructive year for forest fires.
Turkey broke all temperature records in August. It was 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Cizre (a southeastern town) and exceeded 45 degrees Celsius in Antalya and Muğla. “Climate Change can further increase temperatures up to 6 degrees Celsius in coming years. It can be even higher in the southeast, up to 7 degrees Celsius,” he said.
He warned that heatwaves in the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions can render them “sweltering.”
He said that the impact would not be restricted to these areas, noting an increase of seawater temperatures in Black Sea. “More water evaporates and this, in turn, aggravates rainfall. Humans are partially responsible for the construction of river beds. Other areas will also experience higher precipitation levels due to the soil eroding. Concrete is everywhere and the water cannot infiltrate the soil and instead, it just fills the hollow areas,” he warned.
Turkey is still reeling from serious afflictions DroughtParticularly in the central or southeastern regions, there is a threat. Tolunay claimed that 2020 had been extremely dry and continued into 2021.
The country increased its efforts against climate change, and ratified a significant international agreement to reduce its impact. According to a new survey, the issue is also increasing public awareness.
The survey by Konda research company and Iklim Haber, a news portal on climate change news, found that 66% of people interviewed are worried about climate change, while three out of every four people believe climate crisis is the result of humanity’s actions.
The survey also revealed that very few people are aware of the issue. Paris Climate Deal, which Turkey ratified in 2021, while a lesser number of people are aware of government’s net zero emission goal by 2053.
