NEWS CENTER – The climate crisis is now seriously felt, and it is no longer something to be talked about for the future. The climate crisis is now an important issue today. The effects of this were experienced with the African heat that came to Turkey in the form of 3 waves. Of course, this crisis is not limited to only Turkey. While some parts of the world were struggling with extreme heat, there were floods and storms in many parts of the world. While this climate crisis is being felt seriously, the government in Turkey is offering the Akbelen forests of Muğla, which has been resisting for two years with the greed of profit, to the miners. We talked to Sultan Gülsün from Polen Ecology and the closest possible consequences of this crisis.
African heat hit Turkey in 3 waves. Can it be said that global warming and climate change are no longer the future, but the burning problem of the present?
We have started to experience the devastating effects of the climate crisis in the recent past. One of the important reasons for the feeling of extremely hot weather is that the cities cannot meet the heat waves. Because urban planning is not done to withstand high temperatures, this makes it difficult for us to adapt. Of course, heat waves affect many places, not just Turkey. Globally, there is a serious loss of biodiversity, land destruction and pollutant emissions caused by forest fires. On the one hand, sea surface temperatures reached high temperature indicators in the Mediterranean. When we look at the effects of heat waves in the sea, we see that there is a risk of accelerating the migration and extinction of species. In the not-too-distant future, the waters will rise along the coastlines. Have you heard of any studies on this in the country? As it is not done, it is closed with filling areas. In the following years, this subject will also be included in our lives. So this is a complicated subject, the causes and consequences of which can be multiplied, and we are in it more than ever.
While the heat was also effective in Europe, seasonal anomalies such as storms and hail were also seen in Italy. Will we see this type of news more often?
For the past three years, the cooling effect of La Niña has temporarily halted the longer-term warming trend, but La Niña ended in March 2023 and now the El Niño effect is developing. Global temperatures are likely to rise to high levels in the next five years due to heat-trapping greenhouse gases and the naturally occurring El Niño event. As the warm air moves to the North, the jet stream weakens and fluctuates. In these conditions, long-term heat waves and droughts are experienced in some regions, while heavy rains occur in some regions. For example, in Korea, 40 people lost their lives in heavy rain and flash floods. Roads and bridges collapsed in India due to the flooding of rivers during heavy monsoon rains and floods. Forest fires in Algeria, Greece, It has caused devastation and forced displacement of thousands of people in parts of the Mediterranean, including Italy and Spain. El Niño will increase global temperatures in the year after it develops, in which case there will be an increase in the average temperature in 2024.
According to a new update released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on May 17, 2023, the average global temperature in 2022 was about 1.15°C higher than the 1900 average. Annual global near-surface temperature is estimated to be 1.1-1.8°C higher for each year between 2023 and 2027. Precipitation models from May to September in 2023-2027 show that precipitation will decrease in parts of Northern Europe, Alaska and parts of Northern Siberia, Amazon and Australia.
While there was almost no breathing in the last two weeks in Turkey, Akbelen Forests was given to the mining company. What dimensions will these policies bring about the destruction?
As it is known, Limak and IC partnership took action in 2019 to expand the lignite mine field that supplies fuel to the Yeniköy-Kemerköy thermal power plant. For a long time, the nature and life defenders in Milas have been struggling, but in the last period, the people have been confronted by the law enforcement of the state. What happened in Akbelen is the continuation of the organized evil that happened in Kazdağları, İkizdere, Şırnak and many other places. In order to take the ecological destruction one step further, capital is expanding. The Turkish government, which states that forests are a homeland, but talks about the closure of so-called thermal power plants in the climate crisis policies, let’s see that it also allows the power plant by opening mining areas. It can be understood from here how general the climate policies actually are. The only reason why Akbelen or other known struggles in the ecological struggle have been advanced so far is because of the will of the people. Otherwise, environmental pollution at different scales and destructions that can be effective for a long time are experienced in Turkey every minute. We are trying to prevent where we are, so the struggle for ecology is actually a struggle for life. This struggle, of course, does not serve the interests of the capital and the government, so it cannot sit on a political ground. What we actually need to do at this stage is to take action to weave a social life policy. Therefore, the struggle for ecology is actually a struggle for survival. This struggle, of course, does not serve the interests of the capital and the government, so it cannot sit on a political ground. What we actually need to do at this stage is to take action to weave a social life policy. Therefore, the struggle for ecology is actually a struggle for survival. This struggle, of course, does not serve the interests of the capital and the government, so it cannot sit on a political ground. What we actually need to do at this stage is to take action to weave a social life policy.
What would be the most urgent plan to be made against this climate change we are in?
Ending extractivity is our premise to stop global warming. Only in this way can fossil fuel extraction, processing and distribution be stopped. Government partnerships with companies hinder this process. The capitalist system, which constantly includes itself in the market in another form, needs to be changed so that the mentality that exploits nature as a commodity can change.
