We had been feeling its effects for a long time, but the summer we’ve just come through showed us the terrifying face of climate change, didn’t it?
What a season it was!

We saw days when heatwaves pushed thermometers to nearly fifty degrees. We searched for the shade of a tree to escape to, and once again understood how important those ancient beings are for human life. We witnessed forest fires. We watched with worry and sadness as smoke clouds gathered in the sky beyond our village in Çanakkale, and we followed similar news coming from all over the world. Then we saw photographs of animals that perished in the fires, and we were devastated. We watched rivers, springs, and streams dry up and shrink before our eyes, saw water levels drop, and were reminded once more: the whole world is under the threat of drought. Water, which is vital for humans, is now in urgent need of protection.

What is happening — are we heading toward a disaster?

To give you a straightforward answer: if we plan to keep living as we have for decades, then yes. We are heading toward a disaster, and its scale will be much larger than we think.

Let’s recall the words of World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas:
“We have already lost the battle to save glaciers from melting and to stop sea level rise. That’s the bad news. Because greenhouse gases have been emitted at such high levels, the seas will continue to rise for thousands of years. No matter what steps are taken to reduce emissions, extreme weather will continue until the 2060s. After that, there may be a chance to reverse the situation.”

In other words, we no longer have the chance to manage the risks and mitigate the consequences of extreme climate events. That train has left the station. From now on, we must develop our capacity to adapt and get through the extremely harsh period ahead by adjusting to the severe course of the climate.

A bleak picture, isn’t it? Yes — but there is no room for fatalism. We must do what is necessary and enter that sharp curve prepared.
Personally, I am hopeful…

From a national perspective, I see movement. The Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal, and the individual measures countries are taking are gaining momentum. Governments must increase this momentum, because sometimes short-term goals can overtake this greater purpose. That must not be allowed.

To be honest, my hope comes less from what countries are doing and more from the actions of those who “care” about climate change.

Look, young people — as mentioned above — do not see government action as sufficient, and they have begun suing to force them to act faster. Especially after the deadly wildfires that hit their country in 2017, six young Portuguese people, “horrified” by their government’s inaction on climate change, sued 32 European countries.

Alongside the youth, there are other groups who “care”: scientists and a new generation of entrepreneurs.

What they are doing can really boost one’s hope.

For example, an astronomer from the University of Hawaii has made an unusual proposal to stop global warming. Astronomer Szapudi suggests placing a massive sun shield made from cutting-edge lightweight materials, balanced with an asteroid, into space to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth. The logic is simple: blocking even about 1.7% of sunlight could prevent a significant rise in global temperatures. Could it stop heatwaves? Why not?

Forest fires, you say? The winner of the James Dyson Award’s Turkey National title is “ForestGuard 2.0,” an Internet of Things-based, satellite-connected sensor system. It promises to detect forest fires at a very early stage. The James Dyson Award is an annual sustainability-focused engineering competition organized by the James Dyson Foundation. Immediate intervention could be highly effective in protecting forests.

And what about the drought threat endangering the entire world?

In this area, we see new developments every day. There are devices that can convert humidity in the air into water, and there are also successive projects aimed at purifying polluted water. Scientists from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have developed an ultra-thin film made from graphene, called “Graphair,” that can make dirty water drinkably clean after just one pass. And we don’t even have to go as far as Australia — in an earlier column here, we wrote about the Turkish company 7CBasalia, which uses bacteria to achieve a similar result.

We cannot expect everything from governments and politicians. The thought of winning elections can sometimes take precedence over long-term benefits.

Here, the difference will be made by those who “care.” And those who “care” have already begun to make their presence felt…

Until the next article, stay healthy…

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