HDP warns of looming food crisis in Turkey due to climate change

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The Ecology Commission of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) released its "2010 Drought Situation Report" on June 5 World Environment Day.

The co-spokespeople of the commission said at a press conference that drought and the climate crisis have become a "class and economic crisis" and a food crisis is "on Turkey's doorstep."

"All ecosystems in the country are directly or indirectly under the threat of the drought crisis, which comes together with the climate crisis," said Co-Spokesperson Menekşe Kızıldere.

"The dry and warm winds cause seeds planted to rot before becoming crops and water reserves to irrigate crops do not exist.

"Animal breeders are on the verge of bankruptcy due to rising feed prices and water scarcity. The loss of producers has turned into the profit of large capital groups in the food market.

"The purchasing power of the people has declined. Food prices have risen uncontrollably and will rise even more. Poverty, even starvation, is now a reality in Turkey.

"With the government in power, the drought and climate crisis have also become a class and economic crisis. There is a very serious food crisis on the doorstep. Behind all these are the collapsed ecosystems that collapse.

"The reason for this is the capital and the ruling power that has become an instrument of the capital."

The HDP's drought report compiles figures from different sources to reveal the extent of drought in the country.

Maps by the Global Drought Monitoring Service show that significant parts of Turkey were under a moderate risk of drought impact on agriculture in January.

According to the Union of Turkish Agricultural Chambers (TZOB) figures, the number of provinces affected by drought was 22 at the start of the year whereas it increased to 41 in May.

Also, the number of extreme weather events, which are thought to be an indicator of climate change, nearly doubled in Turkey in a decade, according to the TZOB. The country had 556 extreme weather events in 2010 and 984 events in 2020.

Data obtained from NASA's Grace-Fo satellite show that the precipitation in the Konya Plain in central Turkey, which is known as the country's "breadbasket," decreased by 38 percent in 2020.

(AÖ/VK)