Wildfires Burn Through Turkey as Climate Crisis Worsens 

August 25, 2021 CATALYST Team

Hundreds of wildfires have blazed across Turkey as the Mediterranean experiences extreme heat this summer. At least eight people have died in the fires and thousands have fled as firefighters and residents struggle to extinguish the fires.

Mountains in the smoke of fires in Turkey, on the Turkish coast in Marmaris, 2021. Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash

Wildfires have been spreading across Turkey since July 28, terrorizing residents, hospitalizing dozens, and killing at least eight people and more than 2,000 farm animals. Around 200 wildfires have burned through more than 40 Turkish provinces, destroying more than 500 square miles of forest, in addition to villages, homes and farmland. Thousands have been forced to leave their shelter and livestock behind just to make it out alive.

The fires started in Manavgat in the Antalya province, and the majority have broken out along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. Antalya and Mulga, among other beach districts, have been hit the hardest, with a total of 21 wildfires and 14 wildfires respectively, more than double the number of wildfires in other districts. While popular tourist destination Antalya is accustomed to averaging near the mid-30s Celsius over the summer, the district has experienced highs of more than 40 degrees Celsius this summer. Cizre, a southeastern Turkish town, broke the country’s 60-year-old temperature and set the new record at 49.1 degrees Celsius on July 20. Experts believe the wildfires in Turkey and the Mediterranean may have been caused by extreme heat that hailed from North Africa. High winds—around 31 mph—have also facilitated these fires by making them difficult to extinguish and easier to spread.

Turkey is not alone in this, as southern European nations including Greece, Spain, Italy and Lebanon have also been affected by blazing wildfires and soaring temperatures over the past few weeks. However, Turkey has experienced the bulk of the destruction and the worst wildfires in the nation in decades. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticized for failing to fight the inferno and for the nation’s lack of firefighting planes. Meanwhile, government officials have attempted to offset the blame from Erdogan by accusing political opponents and saboteurs of igniting the fires to get international intervention and undermine the current government. Some help has come in the form of international assistance from the Middle East, Europe and some of Turkey’s neighbors, such as Azerbaijan and Iran, , but many residents were still left to fight the fires in their backyards alone.

Politics and conspiracies aside, Turkey’s recent wildfires are representative of a larger trend of worsening climate change and an increase in extreme weather events around the world. While the majority of wildfires can be attributed to human activities such as lighting campfires and throwing lit cigarettes on the ground, severe heat and drought make forests drier and more prone to catching on fire. Additionally, the average wildfire season has increased by three and a half months due to winter snowpacks melting about a month earlier than they did in the past. Scientists are comfortable linking these environmental circumstances—and Turkey’s recent extreme weather conditions in particular—to climate change, which is accelerating “dangerously close” to irreversible change.

As one of six countries that has not ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, Turkey’s commitment to climate policies is weaker in comparison to that of other nations. Without the necessary fire-combatting equipment, including a usable fleet of water-dropping planes, Turkey is struggling to overcome this natural disaster. Despite the government and its supporters’ claims that Turkey can fight this alone, many residents continue to ask for increased international assistance.

Get Involved

While Russia, Ukraine and other nations send tangible assistance to Turkey, there are ways for individuals to help as well. The World Wide Fund for Nature works to reduce human impact on the environment and preserve wildlife around the world, and is constantly looking for donors to monetarily contribute to the fight against climate change.

More specifically, Turkish Philanthropy Funds has set up a Wildlife Relief Fund to supply Turkey with the equipment necessary to rebuild and recover affected communities. Individual GoFundMe pages are also circulating across social media to facilitate Turkey's relief efforts.

To not only help Turkey but to help push forward the climate agenda in general, individuals can contribute by regulating and lowering their carbon footprint and voting for officials who will prioritize the environment.