As Turkey struggled to contain forest fires over the past week, people asked how so many blazes could start at the same time.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said on Monday that all but seven of 132 fires over the past five days were extinguished. The flames claimed the lives of eight people.
Although news outlets focused on scenes in the mountains behind Turkey’s Mediterranean holiday resorts, fires have raged in 32 of 81 provinces, including south-eastern inland areas.
Speculation has focused on arson in some cases, with claims that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party was involved in setting fires.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to give credence to such claims on Saturday, when he indicated the group could be behind “sabotage”, but there appears to be little supporting evidence for that assertion.
There has been one arrest in Milas, Mugla province linked to a fire, while another was blamed on two boys burning books on forest land in nearby Marmaris.
Strong winds, dry ground conditions and higher-than-average temperatures are a more mundane explanation for the outbreaks, scientists said.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to look for other causes,” said Umit Sahin, climate change co-ordinator at Sabanci University’s Istanbul Policy Centre.
“Although if you’re asking ‘Is the perpetrator human?’ then the perpetrator is definitely human because the perpetrator of the climate crisis is human.”
“Research shows that more than 80 per cent of forest fires in Turkey are caused by human action," Mr Sahin said. "Incorrect zoning decisions, incorrect tourism policies, all of these are very important. Given all this, I think it’s a mistake to think of forest fires as something very unusual in this heat and drought.”
Countries around the Mediterranean regularly experience summer bushfires, but the number in Turkey this year has been greater than usual. On Monday, forecasters spoke of temperatures 5ºC to 8ºC above the seasonal average along the west and south coasts.
“In the winter and spring, there is a long drought and the vegetation dries up. Then comes a big heatwave in summer, and temperatures rise to 35º to 40ºor even higher,” Dr Sahin said.
“After reaching a certain point, fires break out at the same time and in the same region as if someone had ignited a spark. But this isn’t something that needs to be started deliberately. The only reason is suitable conditions created by the climate crisis.”
Firat Cukurcayir, president of Turkey’s Chamber of Meteorological Engineers, said the “blow-dryer effect” – warm, dry air rushing down from the mountains that lie behind Turkey’s coastline – was a significant contributing factor.
“Wind is always a negative criterion for forest fires, even under normal conditions,” he said.
Dr Cukurcayir agreed that climate change was “laying the groundwork for weather events” and creating perfect conditions for forest fires.
If you’re asking ‘Is the perpetrator human?’ then the perpetrator is definitely human because the perpetrator of the climate crisis is human
Umit Sahin,
Sabanci University’s Istanbul Policy Centre
He also said that people were the “biggest factor” in forest fires, as discarded cigarette ends or broken glass could ignite dry vegetation.
Officials from Gundogmus in Antalya province said sparks from a high-voltage electricity cable had started a fire near the town.
Sukru Durmus, president of the Agriculture and Forests Trades’ Union, said electricity lines could be responsible for fires.
“As a result of power lines hanging due to the heat, it’s possible they swing with the wind, hitting something and causing sparks that turn into a fire,” he said.
“We’ve been through this before but no one’s talking about it because there would have to be a lot of compensation.”
Others pointed out that the fires only received attention because of the large number occurring at once.
“There were fires last week, two weeks and three weeks ago but we didn’t hear much about them because we were able to extinguish them quickly,” said Cagatay Tavsanoglu, an ecologist at Ankara’s Hacettepe University.
“But this week there are such meteorological conditions and, combined with the heatwave, these fires became very severe.”
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
More coverage from the Future Forum
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five pillars of Islam
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
