Scientists from four universities have launched the "Türkiye on the Path of Climate Change Project" to educate future academics about climate change.
The project, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Bahadır from Ondokuz Mayıs University's (OMU) Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been prepared with support from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) under the Scientific Training Events Support Program.
Fifteen scientists from OMU, Gümüşhane University, Süleyman Demirel University, and Afyon Kocatepe University are participating in the project. They are educating 24 graduate and doctoral students from 12 universities on a range of topics, including the global impact of climate change, its effects on Türkiye, drought and water scarcity in Türkiye, vegetation, wetlands, agricultural production, coastal areas, cultural heritage, drainage networks, and social life.
Gümüşhane University Rector Prof. Dr. Halil İbrahim Zeybek, speaking to the Anadolu Agency, remarked that climate change is one of the globally pressing issues being addressed on an international scale.
Explaining the project's objectives, Zeybek said, "Climate has always changed over various periods since the formation of the Earth, mostly due to natural factors. However, since the Industrial Revolution, with the excessive use of fossil fuels and the greenhouse effect, human-induced factors have come into play, leading to what we call 'global climate change.' We are now starting to see serious consequences of this. Globally, about 15-20 years ago, the Earth's average temperature was around 13.5 degrees Celsius, whereas today we’re talking about averages closer to 14.5-15 degrees Celsius."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Bahadır emphasized that the project aims to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change, widely recognized as the most pressing issue of our time, on both Türkiye and the world.
"We have created a platform with contributions from scientists from various disciplines to address the issues Türkiye currently faces and may face in the future due to climate change," Bahadır noted. "Experts are presenting their perspectives on national changes. By establishing interdisciplinary connections, we highlight how potential changes in the climate might affect Türkiye over the next 70 years, up to 2100."
Bahadır also stressed the project's goal of offering solutions to these challenges, stating, “What are the problems posed by climate change, and what potential solutions can we provide? What roles do geographers, soil scientists, and environmental engineers have? We aim to reach a consensus across various disciplines on addressing these challenges without experiencing them in the future. We hope to outline a scenario where Türkiye is least affected by global climate change.”
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