Postcard from Istanbul
NESTLED in forests on the Sea of Marmara, the historic Turkish city of Bursa was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, far north of the sunnier places generally afflicted by wildfires.
This summer though, in the middle of a prolonged heatwave, high winds whipped up small blazes into infernos around the outskirts of the city. The authorities have blamed provocateurs for starting the fires. But we know that is a deflection from a looming climate catastrophe, exacerbated by our leaders putting profit before the environment.