Waste Management

1) What are some ways Turkey disposes of waste?

• Sanitary Landfill

Waste materials stored by depositing and compacting in large areas that have an impermeable layer to prevent soil and air matter pollution. The layer is formed of compacted clay. Most vital thing is to prevent any harmful effects on tbe environment. 

• Incineration

Only used for medical waste. 

• Sterilization

Sterilization plants have been constructed to sterilize the garbage making it clean and then compacting it to be of use for soil. Currently, the method used for sterilization is immersion by liming. Liming is when you treat soil or water with lime to reduce acidity and improve fertility or oxygen levels. Immersing waste materials in liming will help reduce harmful effects. 

• Composting 

Important for the use of fertilizer for agriculture.

• Advanced Disposal Methods

This method consists of pyrolysis (decomposition by high temperatures), gasification, plasma, etc. Not used wide-scale in Turkey. 

2) What are some challenges Turkey will face in terms of waste disposal? 

• Population 

The population of Turkey continues to increase and so it results to larger amounts of waste materials which would affect the environment and human health. Turkey needs to find ways to control their waste disposal efficiently as it will become a difficult matter. 

3) Ways that Turkey can improve on their waste management strategies. 

• Recycle

Recycling will help reduce waste materials. Recycling will reuse waste materials and turn it into good use such as turning it into clothing. 

• Reduce

Reduce on using things such as plastic bags for grocery shopping. 

• Reuse

It is important to reuse so resources do not go to waste. For example, if you are using paper use both sides. Use reusable shopping bags and try to buy products in returnable bottles. 

• Enforce recycling and composting

Make sure that there are recycling and composting bins available for people. People need to be educated on what waste materials can actually be reused again.

Impact of Climate Change

1. Lithosphere
   
   Soil degradation is an example of climate change that has had an impact on the lithosphere. Turkey has had a decrease in winter precipitation, which has resulted in a degradation of the soil moisture content and a depletion of the ground water level over most of the country. These dry winters and humid conditions will result to an increase of climatic changes towards soil degradation such as in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey as shown below in the picture. 
   
   
2. Hydrosphere
   
   Saltwater intrusion has affected countries along the Adriatic and the Mediterranean sea. Because of the rise of sea water levels, there is saltwater intrusion. 
   
   
   
   Saltwater intrusion into aquifers have affected the Turkish coasts. It is one of the key potential effects of sea level rise in cities such as Istanbul.
   
   
   
   The Turkish coasts affect the fresh drinking water of people who live in the country. It also affects the crops and vegetation needed to grow for food. Without fresh water and the continuous rise of sea levels, Turkey might be left with no source of fresh water to drink and grow food, and possibly great floods that will destroy the city.
   
   
   
3. Biosphere
   
   One of Turkey's major crops, wheat fields, are being destroyed because of climate change. With the increase of temperature and lack of precipitation, these wheat fields don't grow. With damages on Turkey's major crops, food for the people will become a problem and economic trade with other countries will have a negative impact. Living things such as humans and animals, will be greatly affected.
   
   
4. Atmosphere
   Turkey has experienced a great change in air temperature due to climate change. Annual temperature over the period 1961–1990 showed a trend of statistically significant warming over land in south-east Europe of approximately 0.4–0.6°C per decade. The trend for Turkey is relatively large over summer at 0.34°C per decade. The trend for Turkey in winter is very small at -0.01°C per decade. If the trend continues and it gets warmer, crops would not grow with too much heat and people could be affected with heat stroke.
   
   

Tornado in Turkey

During the summer of 2014, a twister tornado had hit parts of Istanbul. The tornado passed over the Marmara Sea before hitting the Pendik and Tuzla neighborhoods in the east of Turkey’s biggest city and port. It continued its journey to the Kozaeli province.

Tornados happen occasionally in southern Turkey, but rarely in Istanbul in the north of the country. The tornado was the latest extreme weather incident to hit Istanbul, which had an unusually dry spring followed by heavy rain.




The rains caused extensive local flooding. Fences and roofs were damaged and several windows were broken, shattering glass around the area. The tornado had resulted to economic impacts as money was needed to be spent to rebuild buildings and houses for people who were affected from the tornado. Any infrastructure or roads destroyed also needed to be fixed. The environment had an impact because of the devastation that was ruined by the tornado; plants, crops, and trees were destroyed.