Attacks on nature and living spaces were relentless throughout 2024. Due to the rent-oriented approach towards nature, ecological problems such as drought, flood disasters, fires, erosion and soil loss, decrease in biodiversity, deforestation in various parts of the world continued to grow throughout the year. These attacks bring about climate change. This situation causes many negative developments such as the warming of the world, melting of glaciers, rising sea levels, and severe weather events.

 

Research also confirms this situation. According to the Global Carbon Project science team, global carbon emissions from fossil fuels will reach a record high in 2024. According to the 2024 Global Carbon Budget report, fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are projected to reach 37.4 billion tonnes, an increase of 0.8 percent compared to 2023. 

 

The preprint, to be published in Earth System Science Data, reveals that if emissions continue at this rate, the remaining carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius with a 50 per cent probability could be exceeded within six years. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), military investment and operations account for at least 5.5 percent of global carbon emissions.

 

With the warming of the planet, the melting of glaciers has increased. Scientists have determined that tonnes of mercury were released when the soil frozen for thousands of years in the Arctic region of the North Pole thawed. 300 families living on Gardi Sugdub, a small coral island on the north coast of Panama, were transferred to another location due to sea level rise. Again, the decrease in biodiversity is also reflected in the reports. In its "Living Planet Report" published during the year, the World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya revealed that the wildlife population has decreased by 76 percent in the last 50 years.

 

FLOODS AND HURRICANES

 

Extreme natural events in parallel with climate change have caused great destruction all over the world. According to the 2024 Countdown Report of the medical journal Lancet, heat-related deaths increased by 167 percent in 2023. In 2024, 205 people died in floods in Spain alone and 217 people died in floods in Kathmandu and Nepal. Floods affected hundreds of thousands of people in Nigeria, Indonesia and Kazakhstan. At least 227 people died in the USA in the Helene hurricane, 155 in Typhoon Yagi, which was effective in Vietnam and China, 24 in Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia hit by Storm Boris, and 6 in Japan due to Typhoon Shanshan. Millions of people were evacuated from their regions.

 

TURKEY DOES NOT PROMISE A 'GREEN FUTURE'

 

Turkey was one of the countries where ecological destruction reached the highest level. The government and capital groups in Turkey continued to the ecological plunder uninterruptedly. In the Green Future Index 2023 report prepared by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review Insights and covering 76 countries, Turkey ranked 63rd. The report drew attention to air, water and soil pollution.

 

According to the Black Report 2024 report of the Right to Clean Air Platform (THHP), more than 92 percent of the population in Turkey breathe polluted air according to World Health Organization standards. According to the report, Colemêrg was the province with the most polluted air quality.

 

Throughout the year, mining licences were granted to hazelnut orchards in Giresun and Ordu; historical and cultural sites in Amed (Diyarbakır) and Dêrsim (Tunceli); and forest and agricultural lands in İzmir, Muğla and Çanakkale. "EIA not required" decisions were issued for many licences. Glaciers started to melt in the 4,135-altitude Cilo-Sat Mountains in Colemêrg. Scientists announced that the vertical layer, which was 100-200 metres long years ago, has fallen to 50 metres.

 

AT LEAST 3,623 'EIA NOT REQUIRED' DECISIONS IN 1 YEAR

 

According to the website of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, 12 thousand 57 EIA announcements were made between 1 January-12 December. Of these, 3 thousand 623 were "EIA not required", 621 were "EIA positive", 405 were "cancellation/refund" and 11 were "EIA negative". While 3 thousand 902 EIA announcements were made for the energy sector, 624 of these were "EIA not required" decisions. One of these decisions was related to the addition of 2 more units to Afşin Thermal Power Plant in Mereş. Regarding mining activities, a total of 3 thousand 683 EIA announcements were made. One thousand 233 of these were "EIA not required" announcements.

 

DEFORESTATION POLICY

 

A large forested area has been destroyed due to new mines and rent-oriented projects. Life defenders fighting against Cengiz Holding's Halilağa Copper Mine project in Mount Ida, announced that 600-700 thousand trees were cut down in the region.

 

In the Cûdî, Gabar, Besta and Komatê mountains of Şirnex (Şırnak), forest slaughter continued uninterruptedly this year. Thousands of trees started to be cut down for the copper mine to be opened in a large region including Zengesor, Heşeder, Mizak, Bayırlı and Şaxur rural neighbourhoods of Licê (Lice) district of Amed.

 

While the lawsuit filed by the local people against the gold mine to be opened in the area covering İvrindi and Altıeylül districts of Balıkesir continues, the company cut down hundreds of trees in the region.

 

LAKES IN DANGER

 

Drought made itself felt more this year due to climate change. The General Directorate of Meteorology (MGM) announced that July 2024 was the hottest July in the last 53 years, and the rainfall in June decreased by 65 percent compared to normal. It was also stated that the precipitation in April decreased by 6 percent compared to the same period last year and by 50 percent compared to the average of many years. The most obvious example of this situation was experienced in Muğla Bodrum. As the amount of water in the Mumcular Dam, which meets the need for drinking and utility water, reached the dead volume, the water transmitted to Bodrum by the State Hydraulic Works was cut off.

 

The water width in Kemer Strait, the narrowest part of Lake Eğirdir in Isparta, decreased from 1.8 kilometres to 1.2 kilometres, and the water flow in some parts of the Tunca River stopped due to evaporation due to drought and extreme temperatures. The water level in Gönen Dam, which provides drinking and utility water to Bandırma district of Balıkesir, decreased to 13 per cent. The water level of Berdan Dam, which meets Mersin's drinking water, decreased by 30 percent compared to last year.

 

Lake Bafa, located on the border of Muğla and Aydın, receded by 30 metres, Burdur Salda Lake by 20 metres, Sakarya Sapanca Lake by 17 metres and Lake Wan by 12-13 metres.

 

Bingöl Lake in Sivas, known as the breeding place of angut and cranes, Küçük Lake in Konya, known as "flamingo paradise", and Teke Stream in Kırklareli have completely dried up. The water depth in Azap Lake, which is located next to the ancient city of Myus in Aydın's Söke district and northwest of the Latmos (Beşparmak) Mountains, has dropped to 130 centimetres, which was about 5-6 metres in the past years.

 

FLOODS, LANDSLIDES, FOREST FIRES

 

Edirne experienced the driest winter of the last 70 years. In the summer, sunflower fields were infested with locusts. As for the changing climate of the Black Sea region, hazelnut producers suffered great losses due to the brown skunk, especially in Ordu and Samsun.

 

Floods from extreme weather events affected Erdîş (Erciş) district of Wan (Van) on 20 July, Hesenkeleh district of Erzirom (Erzurum) on 15 July, Erzirom Tekman and Agirî (Ağrı) Zêtka districts on 9 July. During the year, many large and small floods and landslides occurred on the coastal line of the Black Sea region. For this reason, the Black Sea Coastal Road was closed several times. On 7 July, 1 citizen each lost their lives in floods in Milazgîr (Malazgirt) district of Mûş and Çaybaşı district of Ordu.

In addition to floods, forest fires occurred in many cities. According to the data of the General Directorate of Forestry in June, fires increased 5 times compared to last year. While 84 forest fires broke out on 1-21 June 2023, 399 fires were recorded in the same period this year. On 20 June, 15 people died and 72 people were injured in fires in Xanapar (Çınar) district of Amed and Şemrex (Mazıdağı) district of Mêrdîn (Mardin). 924 animals died and 14 thousand 900 decares of land burnt.

 

17 houses were burnt, 105 houses were evacuated and 44 workplaces were evacuated in a fire that started on 15 August in Yamanlar Mountain in Karşıyaka district of İzmir and spread to a large area with the effect of wind. The fire, which caused the evacuation of 3 neighbourhoods, was effective on an area of approximately 1600 hectares. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land were burnt in fires in Balıkesir, Manisa, Denizli, Tokat, Muğla, Aydın, Mêrdîn, Uşak and Çanakkale.

RESISTANCE CONTINUED

 

While mining and energy companies continue to attack nature, the resistance of ecologists and citizens who want to protect their living spaces has never ended. On 3 September in Artvin's Borçka district, Reşit Kibar was murdered during this struggle. Kibar, who resisted against the quarry to be opened in his village under the name of a recreation area, was murdered in an armed attack by company employees.

 

In Qorî village of Semsûr, tents were set up against the quarry and in Marunis (Kavaklı) village of Colemêrg (Hakkari) against mining activities. Large protests against ecological destruction were organised in Amed, Trabzon, Artvin, Ordu, Eskişehir.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS 

 

* January 19: By Presidential decision, a total of 6,074,411 square meters of forest land is deforested in Çewlig (Bingöl), Bursa, Elezîz (Elazığ), Eskişehir, Kastamonu, Kocaeli, Konya, Kütahya, Manisa, Muğla, Sinop, Tokat and Zonguldak.

 

* February 13: There was a landslide at the Çöpler Gold Mine in Erzincan. 9 workers lost their lives. 

 

* March 1: Kyme Ancient City, located in Nemrut Bay in Aliağa, Izmir, was downgraded as a protected site with a decision published in the Official Gazette. The parcels where the Ege Gübre Port and service area of the ancient city are located were re-declared as a third degree archaeological site.

 

* March 12: With the signature of President Erdoğan, 190 parcels of land within the borders of İkizköy, Çamköy and Karacahisar in Milas, where Akbelen Forest is located, were expropriated by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs to be used as a lignite mine site. The decision was again canceled by Erdoğan.

 

* March 28: Fuel oil leaking from a pipeline that was punctured during road work in Kartepe, Kocaeli mixed into Sapanca Lake, the drinking water of millions. 

 

* April 4: The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change downgraded the protection level of Alibahadır, Paşamandıra, Öğümce, Mahmutşevketpaşa neighborhoods in Beykoz and the Riva Beylikmandıra stage.

 

* April 24: In Colemêrg, a vigil was started to stop the excavation of zinc and lead mines started by Karakaya and Sedex Resources Mining companies.

 

* April 29: Hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide gas, heavy metals such as boron and cadmium were released into the air for more than two weeks after an explosion during the drilling of a well for a Geothermal Plant Power (GPP) in Sarayköy, Denizli.

 

* May 12: The Law on Amendments to the Mining Law and Certain Laws entered into force after being published in the Official Gazette. The law paved the way for the establishment of renewable energy production plants in areas declared as renewable energy resource areas by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources without a zoning plan.

 

* June 5: While nature and life defenders continue their struggle against mining activities in the Kaz Mountains, Zenit Mining, which has been working in the region with cyanide, was approved for expansion. 

 

* June 29: Under the name of 'beach cleaning', seagrass meadows, known as the lungs of the sea, were uprooted with diggers and piled on the shore near Balıkesir Erdek-Narlı Neighborhood Pier.

 

* June 29: A total of 496,443 square meters of forests in Artvin, Bedlîs (Bitlis), Istanbul and Izmir lost their forest quality by the decision of AKP Chair President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

 

* September 2: Zorlu Holding's request to increase the capacity of its nickel quarry in the Gördes district of Manisa is given an “EIA positive” decision. 

 

* September 16: Dekuk Waterfall in Harbiye neighborhood of Hatay's Defne district was destroyed after a quarry company working in the region blasted it as part of its mining exploration activities.

 

* September 20: “EIA positive” decision was given for the third time for the fishing port that Ordu Metropolitan Municipality wanted to build in Altınordu district, but was canceled by the Administrative Court. 

 

* October 20: With the zoning change made for a 400 thousand square meter area in Aya Yorgi Bay in Izmir's Çeşme district, the status of the area was changed from 'recreation area' to 'residential and commercial area'. The area was opened for construction.  

 

* November 7: It was revealed that 6 million tons of asbestos-laden excavation excavated at Mersin Port was dumped back into the sea.

 

* November 25: In Silopiya district of Şirnex, a 'hasty expropriation' decision was issued for 51 parcels of green land to open a coal mine.

 

Tomorrow: Economy 

 

MA / Tolga Güney