76 mln face extreme heat this summer in Türkiye: Study

This summer officially marked the hottest summer in Türkiye since 1970, with approximately 76 million people experiencing at least 30 days of exceptionally high temperatures brought on by climate change, according to the Climate Shift Index (CSI) conducted by the scientists from the international research organization Climate Central.

Researchers determined the country's CSI level, examining how climate change affected the country's summertime heatwave and the overall population as a result of the study.

Positive CSI levels (ranging from 1 to 5) indicate that climate change has a discernible impact on temperatures. A CSI score of 1 means that temperatures are 1.5 times more likely to be higher than average, while a CSI rating of 2 or higher indicates two or three times increased likelihood of above-average temperatures.

According to Climate Central's data, from June to August, 88 percent of the country's population experienced intense heat for more than a month, which stemmed from the likelihood of experiencing such heatwaves by at least three times (corresponding to CSI level of 3) as a result of climate change.

The provinces Mersin, Adana, Denizli, Diyarbakır and İzmir emerged as the cities that witnessed the longest-lasting effects of the high temperatures brought on by climate change.

Temperatures of CSI level of 3 and above impacted the southern cities of Mersin and Adana for 90 and 82 days respectively. The southwestern city of Denizli experienced intense heat for 75 days, the southeastern province of Diyarbakır for 71 days, and the Aegean city of İzmir for 53 days during this period.

The megacity of Istanbul was affected by the high temperatures originating from climate change for 47 days, while the capital Ankara...