Many of us may not be aware of this because it has received so little attention in North America, but Turkey is currently fighting some of the worst fires in decades. According to an August New York Times report: “Fires blazed uncontrollably for the eighth day on Wednesday, aggravated by a record-breaking heatwave that follows a prolonged drought. The nation has watched in horror images on television and social media, as thousands of people have been forced to evacuate homes, coastal resorts, and whole villages, primarily in the south, and herds of livestock have perished in fast-moving blazes.”
The Times article goes on to discuss how this summer has been a summer of “widespread extreme weather” — from floods in Germany and Belgium to record-breaking heat waves, drought, and wildfires in Russia, Italy, Greece, Canada, Brazil, and the United States.