Before The Last Glacier Melts

Human history is a saga of oscillation between the desire to dominate nature and the devastation wrought by that very ambition. Nowadays, whenever an extreme weather event occurs—be it a region submerged by floods or withered by drought—eyes immediately turn to the skies. Yet, this time, the gaze is not fixed on the natural form of the clouds, but on what humans "did" to them. Cloud seeding has ceased to be a mere scientific method; it has become a symbol of our collective fears and that perilous hubris: the delusion that "we control everything." Let us establish the scientific reality in its simplest terms: Cloud seeding is not a miracle that creates something out of nothing in the sky. If you do not have a cloud mass with the appropriate humidity, temperature, and microphysical conditions, no amount of silver iodide or dry ice will produce even a single drop of rain. This method is merely a microscopic nudge—an attempt to increase the precipitation efficiency of a...

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have long been presented to the public as a “technological salvation” at a time when the climate crisis is deepening. Oil, natural gas, and coal companies argue that the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere can be captured and safely stored underground, allowing the continued use of fossil fuels. This narrative creates a sense of comfort—particularly among economists—that enables the postponement of emissions-reduction policies. However, recent scientific studies show that carbon storage is neither as effective nor as viable, technically or economically, as it is often portrayed. A recent analysis published by CarbonBrief reveals that long-accepted estimates of global geological carbon storage capacity have been wildly optimistic. Claims that 10,000–40,000 billion tonnes of CO₂ could be stored underground collapse when realistic safety and feasibility criteria are applied. According to the study, the amount of carbon dioxide that can ...

The frost events experienced across Türkiye this spring were not merely a meteorological surprise — they were a warning sign of a deeper disruption unfolding within the climate system. At a time when trees had already blossomed, fields had been planted, and farmers had planned their harvests, a single night of frost wiped out an entire year’s labor in some regions and permanently damaged trees that had taken decades to grow. Behind this event lies a complex process that leads many to ask: How can such intense cold still occur in an age of global warming? The polar vortex is a massive ring of cold air circulating in the upper atmosphere around the Arctic, roughly 10 to 50 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Under normal conditions, this vortex remains strong and confines cold air near the poles. In recent years, however, the system has weakened as the temperature difference between the equator and the poles has decreased. The polar regions are warming at more than twice the global ave...

Today, “circularity” sits at the center of almost every sustainability narrative. Yet more often than not, the concept is reduced to recycling waste or returning organic matter to the soil. Agriculture, however, is our most critical challenge — and circularity in agriculture is a far deeper structural issue. It is about whether the system can sustain itself as a whole, reduce its dependence on external inputs, and protect the long-term productivity of the soil. A truly circular agricultural system is not a short-term solution but a design that matures over time. Unfortunately, modern agriculture rarely has the patience to allow this maturation. Farmers are squeezed each year between volatile prices, rising input costs, climate risks, and market pressures. Under such conditions, building a “cycle” can seem like a luxury. In reality, the true luxury is trying to maintain the system in its current form. The purest form of circularity appears in small-scale production. The farmer is both p...

The summer of 2025 will remain in Türkiye’s collective memory for a long time. Declining rainfall, temperatures consistently above seasonal averages, and the gradual depletion of groundwater resources led to severe drought conditions across many parts of the country. Especially in the Aegean region — including provinces such as İzmir, Aydın, Uşak, and Muğla — drinking water shortages became impossible to ignore. As reservoir levels dropped to critical thresholds, people living in coastal areas began to understand the true value of water through frequent supply cuts. We know that Türkiye lies within a semi-arid climate zone. From an early age, many of us learned by heart that the Mediterranean climate brings “hot and dry summers, cool and rainy winters.” Yet this fundamental reality has rarely been placed at the center of daily decision-making, urban planning, or tourism investments. In major tourism destinations such as Bodrum and Çeşme — which host millions of visitors every summer — ...

Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a vital tool in the fight against climate change in recent years. The shift from traditional gasoline-powered cars to electric models is seen as an important step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the environmental impact of road transportation. This transition is crucial since gasoline-powered vehicles account for a significant portion of global carbon dioxide emissions. However, as this transformation accelerates, we are faced with a problem that is often overlooked: society's obsession with large and powerful cars, particularly the increasingly popular electric SUVs. While electric vehicles are undoubtedly a step in the right direction, we must reconsider our mobility strategy, paying attention not only to electrification but also to the size and efficiency of vehicles. Sales of electric SUVs are rapidly increasing, accounting for more than 35% of all electric passenger car sales worldwide. At first glance, this may seem like...