26.01.2025 14:50
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros, who works at Istanbul Technical University, explained that the high traffic, along with the number of vehicles approaching 6 million, indirectly affects snowfall in the city. Toros stated, "If the number of vehicles were not this high, the temperature might have dropped to 0 degrees. Instead of snowing, it is raining when it should be snowing, which can prevent snowfall."
In the 2024 report published by a software company based in the USA, Istanbul was identified as the city with the highest traffic in the world, surpassing New York. The increasing number of motor vehicles in the city is extending the hours spent in traffic while reducing air quality. Consequently, the health of living beings in the city is negatively affected.
THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VEHICLES NEARS 6 MILLION Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros, a faculty member of the Climate Science and Meteorology Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), stated that according to the data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the number of registered vehicles in the city is approaching 6 million.
Stating that this is a very high number, Toros said, "In Istanbul, people can take 1-2 hours to travel a distance that would normally take half an hour. A vehicle that should operate for half an hour is running for 2 hours. Moreover, the more a vehicle stops and starts, the more the amount of emissions it releases into the atmosphere increases. Another point is that we drivers are not actually using our vehicles correctly. There is a red light ahead. We speed up until the last moment and then brake suddenly, or we accelerate as soon as the green light turns on. These sudden stops and starts lead to significant emissions from exhaust, as well as pollutants from brakes, pads, and tires entering the atmosphere. When we put all this together, the increasing traffic in Istanbul raises the amount of pollutants we release into the atmosphere, including particulate matter and carbon monoxide," he explained.
"INCREASING NUMBER OF VEHICLES TRIGGERS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE" Prof. Dr. Toros explained that this situation also affects human health, as breathing the polluted air from motor vehicles brings many diseases. He pointed out that the most significant substance entering the body is air, stating, "As its quality decreases, we breathe in more polluted air, and human health is adversely affected. The World Health Organization reports that over 7 million people die each year due to air quality issues. The polluted air entering the body causes problems primarily in the lungs and can reach the brain through the cardiovascular system. It pollutes the air and deteriorates human health. Therefore, it is essential for those living in large cities like Istanbul to use public transportation or move their homes closer to their workplaces. The increasing number of vehicles directly affects our health and indirectly triggers global climate change," he stated.
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros. Prof. Dr. Toros noted that in the 1990s, there were discussions about three-digit pollutant numbers in Istanbul, which have now dropped to two-digit figures, but the target is single digits. He continued, "The decrease will be possible through the different use of vehicles in Istanbul and the reduction of stop-and-go traffic, but we see that the number of vehicles in Istanbul is increasing every day. This is the biggest obstacle to the decrease. We can reduce this in the long term by switching to public transportation or using shared vehicles. In the short term, media outlets need to conduct educational, awareness-raising, and sensitivity-increasing studies on how to use energy efficiently in vehicles so that we can all become more aware. Let's use our vehicles more efficiently. If the number of vehicles continues to increase in the coming years, there will be more congestion, more stop-and-go situations, which will consume our time and lead to serious pollution in the atmosphere.
"IF THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES WERE NOT SO HIGH, MAYBE THE TEMPERATURE WOULD HAVE DROPPED TO 0 DEGREES" Prof. Dr. Toros emphasized that the land structure in Istanbul has changed significantly and that each vehicle in the city acts like a stove, highlighting that the mixing of pollutant gases from exhaust is altering the chemical structure of the atmosphere. He pointed out that the high number of vehicles in the city can indirectly affect snowfall, stating, "Every pollutant we release into the atmosphere directly affects our health, but there are also indirect effects. The land structure in Istanbul has completely changed; there is more asphalt, vehicles, and people. Each vehicle in Istanbul acts like a stove. Pollutant gases and particulate matter are released from each vehicle's exhaust when it moves. These particulate matters mix into the atmosphere and change its chemical structure," he said.
He noted that the change in land structure in cities leads to more sunlight being trapped on the ground, causing the ground to heat up more. He added, "In cities, a dome known as the 'urban heat island' is formed. Nowadays, everyone is expecting snowfall. For snowfall, the temperature needs to be around 0 degrees or lower. Imagine, the temperature in the center of Istanbul is 2 degrees due to the urban heat island. If the number of vehicles were not so high, the temperature might have dropped to 0 degrees. Instead of snow, it rains when it should snow, which can prevent snowfall. There are studies on this. We only think about our comfort. Going somewhere can expose us to various short-term or long-term negative effects due to the pollutants released from the vehicle's exhaust.