Experts claim a devastating earthquake may hit Istanbul in the future. Image by Şinasi Müldür, accessed from Pixabay. Turkey has been hit by a series of natural disasters and environmental crises in recent months. Drought in Lake Van caused thousands of flamingoes to die in July, while a substance called “sea snot” covered the coasts of the Marmara Sea for months, making the seashore unusable. Last month, some 240 wildfires raged through Turkey's southern coast. Shortly after the fires, the Black Sea region — particularly the cities of Bartın, Kastamonu, Sinop, and Samsun — were hit by flash floods and mudslides because of torrential rain. As a result, 112 villages in Kastamonu and 86 villages in Sinop were left without electricity, while six bridges reportedly collapsed, and the region's roads were left in ruins. More than 2,000 people have been displaced and relocated due to the floods. Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced that 8,000 personnel, 20 rescue dogs, and a fleet of helicopters were looking for injured people and survivors. According to the most recent information, 82 residents died, with 16 still missing as of August 27. Malesef olayın başlangıçı bu şekilde rabbim sen koru #bozkurt #abana #kastamonubozkurt ??? pic.twitter.com/RVuBFu35UW — yalçın yılmaz (@yalnylm74327401) August 12, 2021 This is how everything started, may God protect us. While climate change and excessive rain played a role in the most recent devastating floods, some experts claim that incorrect dam placement and excess construction near the stream beds contributed to the floods. Earthquake expert and geology engineer Ramazan Demirtaş told Birgun newspaper in an interview that: If we confine a 400-meter-wide stream bed into 15-meters, and if the water also rises by 7–10 meters, the result is a natural disaster. It is the humanity that directly narrowed the stream bed and opened the bed to development and construction that is the culprit. Let's not blame it on the excessive rainfall as if it’s unprecedented in history. An artificial dam was formed with buildings built alongside, and the flood caused by torrential rain made the situation worse. Other experts say the disasters and their consequences are political. In an interview with France 24, water and climate policy researcher Gokce Sencan said: I don’t see Turkey having any comprehensive and holistic climate change policy that addresses everything in an interconnected way. You cannot separate food security issues from energy security issues, and food prices from the issue of drought. During his visit to Bozkurt, one of the areas worst hit by floods, President Erdogan promised to help the area recover as quickly as possible: Hopefully, we will rise from our ashes again. We can’t bring back the citizens we lost, but our state has the means and power to compensate those who lost loved ones. But improving Turkey's disaster response is not only about delivering assistance, rebuilding flood-damaged cities, and replanting forests that were burned to the ground. Turkey is among a handful of countries that is yet to ratify the 2015 Paris Agreement, which many environmentalists have criticized in the wake of the disasters. “This is the first step. We must become a part of the global fight against climate change,” said Greens of Turkey Party spokeswoman Emine Ozkan in an interview with France 24. Ankara says the reason it has not signed the agreement is because of unfair classification. Turkey is ranked as a “developed” country which prevents it from seeking funding, unlike countries ranked as “developing.” “Instead of committing to a reduction of carbon emissions, it increased its global share up until 2018. The government continues to encourage coal mining and has been recklessly promoting construction in coastal areas, often at the expense of forest land and natural ecosystems. Recently, the government changed the long-standing law that prohibits construction and development in forest land to allow building in some parts,” wrote journalist Asli Aydintasbas in a piece for The Washington Post on August 4, 2021. In light of recent natural disasters and weak governmental response, many are questioning whether the government is prepared to handle its worst disaster yet — a possible earthquake in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and economic hub. Fires rage as they do because firefighting capabilities have been gutted. Floods turn into tsunamis because of bad urban planning and poor drainage. Turkey’s number one priority should be to get rid of these people before the big one hits Istanbul. Seriously. — Can Okar (@canokar) August 14, 2021 Turkey is located in an active seismic zone and has a history of disastrous earthquakes.