Wildfires in Türkiye

Credits: The Atlantic

Amid a busy travel season, Türkiye now faces a major wildfire crisis. A heatwave stretching from Izmir to Hatay is causing wildfires in 41 settlements within the regions, resulting in the emergency evacuation of 50,000 individuals. Hundreds of houses and other important infrastructure, such as the Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, have also been severely impacted.

The fires were initially reported on the 29th of June in the Menderes and Seferihisar districts of Izmir.

Credits: Sky News

Efforts to put out the fires range from thousands of firefighters and citizens supplying water in different areas to aerial resources like specialized airplanes and helicopters being utilized. At the moment, 10 helicopters and 4 planes, in addition to numerous firefighters, are busy battling the fires. Moreover, the Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport has also paused its operations to prevent any safety risks as the fires spread close to the airport infrastructure. Intense winds of up to 100 km during nighttime have made it challenging to contain the fires. Meanwhile, the fires in the second majorly affected area (Hatay) initially broke out as a minor forest fire in Antakya, which then got more severe due to intense winds. The winds have made the direction in which the fires are headed unpredictable and too powerful for firefighters to combat efficiently. In addition to the firefighters, hundreds of citizens have also been participating in attempts to take control of the situation. Many people have been aiding firefighters using buckets filled with water to put out minor fires, and social media hashtags and stories (#Izmiryanıyor) have sparked as a way of creating community acknowledgement and support for those affected.

The main cause of these wildfires is said to be human-driven global warming. Türkiye is facing one of its driest and hottest seasons as heatwaves soar all across the country and Europe overall. Temperatures, expected to usually be reached in peak summer seasons such as late July to early August, have already been reached as early as mid-June. Low humidity and high temperatures create an ideal atmosphere for the wildfires to worsen. There are also lingering suspicions being investigated regarding arson, with 17 people detained on this charge ever since the fires started earlier this week. However, those accused of this charge haven’t had a proper trial yet; thus, a proper conclusion has yet to be reached.

Credits: Euronews

Amidst the discussions regarding the severity of the wildfires, there have also been critiques reflecting on the unkept promises for policies to avoid these environmental complications. Türkiye has suffered from damaging wildfires for years, most notably the wildfires in the summer of 2021. The government has followed these devastating events with lofty promises that are yet to be fulfilled, including increasing reforestation attempts, bettering the tools and resources to fight the fires, and prioritizing plans to reduce global warming. Some improvements have been made, such as growing the firefighting workforce by 8500 individuals and increasing the number of water tanks and fire trucks by 1149 units. Advanced technology, such as modernized drones equipped with artificial intelligence, is also starting to be used. These drones can detect possible wildfires from up to 200 km away and instantaneously scan millions of hectares of forest area.

Although these new changes are promising, there are also some setbacks that remain. A major one has been the country's lack of reforestation in favor of urbanization practices. For example, a large area that burned down in 2007 due to wildfires was promised to be reforested in the same year. However, this didn’t end up happening, and instead, a luxury hotel was built on that exact area, demonstrating the incomplete maintenance and lack of perseverance in efforts. Türkiye has also fallen behind on attempts to lower its reliance on factors that contribute to global warming. According to the Climate Action Tracker, “[Türkiye] demonstrates little to no ambition in cutting emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal”. The country must take more severe actions to align with global ambitions and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to make a positive contribution and decrease global warming.

Perseverance during the challenging period of mitigating the wildfires is of vital importance to the country. However, to prevent the occurrence of similar challenges and consequences, Türkiye must make changes based on previous promises and future projections.

Edited by: Leyla Hacıoğlu