Economist İnan Mutlu: 130,000 football fields' worth of land burned in 2025

According to data from the European Union's Earth observation program, Copernicus, a total of 92,241 hectares of forest land turned to ash in Turkey in 2025. This amount is equivalent to approximately 130,000 football fields.

Economist İnan Mutlu stated that the data has reached striking proportions, noting that while Copernicus and the Turkish General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) data overlap in some years, significant discrepancies have emerged in certain periods, such as in 2024.

Mutlu said, “When comparing international independent observation systems like Copernicus with OGM data, we see almost a one-to-one match in some years. However, we observe that this gap widens dramatically in some periods, especially as it did in 2024. This carries an important warning sign in terms of data transparency and disaster management.”

According to data from the European Union's Earth observation program, Copernicus, 92,241 hectares—130,000 football fields—of land burned in Turkey in 2025.

While Copernicus data and OGM data are the same in some years, serious differences emerge in some years, as was the case in 2024. pic.twitter.com/TmbOA5Kx6i

— inan mutlu (@inanmutlu1) July 29, 2025

As the frequency and intensity of forest fires in Turkey continue to increase, experts point to reasons such as the climate crisis, insufficient precautions, and a lack of coordination.

News Source: 12punto