By Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University | – The earthquake that struck Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023, is first and foremost a human tragedy, one that has taken the lives of at least 45,000 people to date. The disaster also has major implications for the country’s economy – the financial loss from the […]
Turkey’s historic city of Antakya, the Roman Antioch, has come back from powerful earthquakes in the past – and rebuilt itself
By Christine Shepardson, University of Tennessee | – Tens of thousands have died and millions have become homeless in southern Turkey and northern Syria after the massive 7.8 earthquake that struck on Feb. 6, 2023. But the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, known in Roman and medieval times as Antioch, has been here before. In […]
Why does Turkey want other Countries to start Spelling its Name ‘Türkiye’?
By Phillip M. Carter, Florida International University | – Is Turkey’s recent spelling change about being more authentically Turkish? Or is there more to the story? In June 2022, the United Nations agreed to change the spelling of the country known in the English-speaking world as Turkey to Türkiye, heeding a request by the government […]
Turkey and Syria earthquake: Long-Term Funding is Needed to Support Search-and-Rescue After Major Disasters
By Ali Asgary, York University, Canada | – The strong and disastrous earthquake that shook southern Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 drew attention to search-and-rescue (SAR) operations. The media’s attention raised familiar questions around SAR, including who conducts SAR, what formal and informal SAR teams are available, and how long trapped people are able […]
Israel enters a dangerous period – public protests swell over Netanyahu’s plan to limit the power of the Israeli Supreme Court
By Dov Waxman, University of California, Los Angeles | – (The Conversation) – Proposals by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government to radically diminish the power and independence of Israel’s judiciary sparked demonstrations across the country starting in January 2023. An estimated 200,000 Israelis took part in protests on Feb. 11 and another 100,000 in […]
Big Oil’s trade group allies outspent Clean Energy Groups by a Whopping 27x, with Billions in Ads and Lobbying to keep Fossil Fuels Flowing
By Christian Downie, Australian National University and Robert Brulle, Brown University | – (The Conversation) – You’ve probably seen ads promoting gas and oil companies as the solutions to climate change. They’re meant to be inspiring and hopeful, with scenes of a green, clean future. But shiny ads are not all these companies do to […]
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: how Satellites can help rescue Efforts
By Emilie Bronner, Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) | – In disasters like the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and 7.5-magnitude aftershock that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6, 2023, international cooperation on satellite imaging plays a crucial role in the rescue and recovery efforts. Such data enables humanitarian aid to better deliver water and food […]
Has the Era of Low-Cost Food Ended? Further Food Price Rises could cause up to 1 Million additional Deaths in 2023
By Peter Alexander, The University of Edinburgh | – (The Conversation) – Food prices in the UK are at their highest for 15 years and something similar is happening in almost every country around the world. The situation is set to get worse as high fertiliser prices, and resulting lower yields from reduced use, may […]
Turkey-Syria earthquake: Assad blames west as agencies struggle to get aid to his desperate people
By Scott Lucas, University College Dublin | – (The Conversation) – It didn’t take long for Syria’s Assad regime to seek political and economic benefit from the devastation of an earthquake. As emergency services were reaching victims of the 7.8-magnitude tremor on February 6, regime-linked organisations demanded governments “immediately end the siege and unilateral coercive […]