A firefighter walks on a dirt road after going to the emergency service in the face of a fire that broke out near Kemerkoy Thermal Power Plant, in Oren, near the city of Milas, on August 4, 2021 (Photo by Yasin Akgül/AFP)
For more than a week, fires have been burning, destroying green landscapes, wildlife and native homes in the western and Mediterranean regions of my hometown. I watch from the UK feeling angry and helpless at the same time, angry because officials claim the fires are under control while on social media we see hectares of forest shrouded in hell, helpless, apart from donating money to support organizations on the ground. do anything.
There are pictures of incendiary planes from the Turkish Aviation Authority flying in air shows in late 2019; The same planes that are now telling us they need maintenance and are not airworthy. Instead, the government leases helicopters by the hour to Russia. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens and celebrities who have shared #GlobalCall and #HelpTurkey are being shamed or attacked by certain sections of society as traitors for “making the country look weak” on the world stage. The same clips also attacked television reporters who were broadcasting from the site of the fire for spreading “false news”.
Watching locals lose their homes and livelihoods, watching their villages burn and their livestock destroyed by fire, we see government officials promising newly built homes that they will be allowed to pay for monthly, and then we tell them, “These homes will do so well that those whose homes have not been burned will wish they had them.” “.
For the past 10 days, it’s like watching a parody unfold. Chaotic governance, a lack of budget, and little or no attention to maintenance have left one of the Middle East’s leading firefighting fleets rotting in a country ravaged by wildfires every summer, meaning that thousands of hectares of forest no longer exist, along with this wilderness . life perished.
While some of these fires have allegedly been set by terrorists, and are currently under investigation, we still deny climate change. the irony? As the public puts their lives at risk to put out the fires, they collect piles of flammable bottles and trash deep in the woods—even as volunteers try to aid the firefighters’ efforts, they keep throwing trash aside. This is in a country that made headlines just a few months ago as mucilage (sea mucus) spread across the Sea of Marmara and the waters of the northern Aegean, exacerbated by pollution and climate change.
Climate change has progressed much faster than most reports expected in recent years – we are seeing daily effects across the globe, from floods to rising sea levels and wildfires in warmer climates, exacerbated by those in power who lack the skills or vision. To do more, and sectors of society, internationally, who still don’t see us en masse destroy our home. When will it end? When is the green color left in Antalya? Or underwater lakes? When do we realize that we are running out of water or food?
We are like the mythical frog that boils in a pot of water: warm water slowly boils. The temperature is rising and we are still enjoying some showers…you know how the story ends with a well-cooked frog.
“Thinker. Professional twitter fanatic. Certified introvert. Troublemaker. Unapologetic zombie maven.”