Cagdas Ertuna for Milliyet
Istanbul experienced two floods within one week. Hail poured down from the sky, roads turned into riverbeds, planes were struck by lightning, and videos of a revolving glass door shattering into pieces circulated in WhatsApp groups. Inevitably, all of this led us to start talking about climate change.
While the entire world has been discussing in recent years how seriously we must take extreme heat and climate change, what have we been doing? Have we taken any measures beyond installing air conditioners? Or have we simply been complaining?
“Climate change is not actually a seasonal issue, yet the only time we pay attention to it is during the summer months, when it directly affects our lives through extreme heat. This summer, temperatures are at record levels. Naturally, we are concerned about the consequences of global warming,” said New York University sociology professor Eric Klinenberg five years ago.
What is truly frightening is exactly this: we are all complaining about the same issue, and unfortunately, we are all responsible. Some of us are even more responsible than others.
As I was reflecting on all this, I was introduced to Ceren Çerçiler through Ali Güreli. Ceren is one of the producers of the documentary “In This Climate,” created in collaboration with EXPO 2016 and Liberatum.
When we think of EXPO 2016 Antalya, the first thing that comes to mind is concerts. At the time, we were even asking, “Why don’t we hear about these concerts?” Yes, some artists like Sting canceled their performances, while others like Enrique Iglesias expressed how pleased they were with their concerts. But undoubtedly, it was Elton John’s attitude that was most appreciated.
Elton John stated that he knew Turkey very well from his previous concerts and emphasized that recent events could not overshadow the country’s beauty. For this reason, he announced in advance, through a letter, that he would gladly perform at EXPO 2016 Antalya on September 9.
Now, I learn from Ceren Çerçiler that special screenings were held on June 28 in New York and on July 10 in London.
The documentary is as striking in its facts as it is in its names. It includes concrete data and near-future projections, such as the United Nations’ estimate that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in regions facing water scarcity.
For such an important issue, and for a documentary that required so much effort and emerged thanks to Expo Antalya 2016, we should have embraced it more and worked to reach a wider audience. It could have been promoted as a strong project emerging from Turkey, from the “flowers and children” themed Expo Antalya 2016. Yet today, it is known merely as a Liberatum production with no real association with Turkey.
