66M people in Türkiye affected by extreme heat in 3 days
Young man washes his face to cool off during Türkiye's hot summer, August 1, 2023. (AA Photo)
While 66 million people in Türkiye have been exposed to extreme heat over the past three days, a total of 290 million people in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East have experienced abnormal temperatures.
According to an analysis by Climate Central, it was found that from June 11 to 13, 290 million people in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East were exposed to abnormal heat due to climate change. The analysis indicated that these temperatures are at least five times more likely due to climate change.
Maximum temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and above in many cities in Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Turkmenistan, Algeria, Egypt, Afghanistan, and Greece. Meanwhile, temperatures ranged from 30 to 38 degrees Celsius in Sofia, Plovdiv and Burgas in Bulgaria; Benghazi and Misrata in Libya; Rafah in the Gaza Strip; Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel; Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece; and Antalya and Izmir in Türkiye.
Temperatures were found to be 2 to 8 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms in most of these regions. During this period, temperatures in Istanbul peaked at 29.2 degrees Celsius on June 11, which was 4.9 degrees above the seasonal norm. In Bursa, temperatures reached 34.1 degrees Celsius on June 12, which was 8 degrees above the seasonal norm.
In other countries, temperatures in Basra are expected to reach 46.2 degrees Celsius today, 2.1 degrees above the seasonal norm; 44.4 degrees in Medina; 43.4 degrees in Fallujah; 43.9 degrees in Baghdad; 41 degrees in Cairo; and 39.3 degrees in Jerusalem.
Exposure to extreme heat is known to cause heat-related illnesses such as exhaustion and heat stroke. It also increases the risk of worsening underlying conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma.
Additionally, extreme heat increases the risk of wildfires. The period during which wildfires occur has increased by 20% in recent years, resulting in the loss of 9 million hectares in 2021 and 6 million hectares in 2022 globally.
