'Climate change a scapegoat, disasters in Turkey are man-made'

Disasters will become more frequent and dangerous because of climate change, but also because governments in Turkey are continuing practices that increase risks, according to a local expert in the field. ?Disasters are man-made. Populist rhetoric is distancing us from solutions,? warns Professor Mikdat Kad?o?lu The main reason behind the deadly floods and landslides that have hit Turkey?s Black Sea region over the last week, leaving eight dead, is inappropriate settlements that have been ongoing for years, according to Professor Mikdat Kad?o?lu, the head of the Disaster Management Center and Meteorological Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University (?TÜ). 

?Climate change has become a scapegoat,? said Kad?o?lu, who is among the few experts trying to raise awareness in Turkey about the threat of climate change. He warned that although climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of disasters, governments continue to engage in practices that increase the risks.

What are the most important causes of the recent floods and landslides in the Black Sea?

There is not just one reason for disasters. But the most important cause this time is settlements. Most of what is being built in the Black Sea region, whether a road or a house, is not appropriate to the region?s characteristics. 

In the past, homes in the Black Sea were not like they are now. People lived on upper stories and nobody would live in lower stories, which would be made of stone. But now just one type of home is being constructed in Turkey, whether on top of a mountain or by a river, whether in the Black Sea region or the southeast. People construct their homes based on a sunny weather and think it will stay like that all the time....

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