Smoggy McSmog

To paraphrase my roommate Maddy, Izmir is one of the few cities where you can walk outside to get some air and suddenly feel the urge to “stop, drop, and roll.” The smog and air pollution is that bad here, especially in the winter. My first few days here I figured we were covered in some sort of fog, but I quickly wizened up. While Izmir is a rapidly growing city, unfortunately all the heating systems here are rather archaic. Most people still heat their houses and buildings by burning coal, and all that by-product soot and ash has to go somewhere. Where does it go? Right up into the night sky and the air we all breathe. I hear the pollution makes for stunning sunsets, but that doesn’t console me too much right now (But then again, who doesn’t love to see the sun dip into the ocean come dusk?).


I’ll crack my window at night if my room gets a tad warm, and pretty soon all I can smell is a giant fireplace. Is that cigarette smoke you smell on my jacket? Nope, I just went for an evening stroll along the beach, sir. I can’t say it’s really affected me that much, but I know it can’t possibly be good for me, or anyone else for that matter. If anything, it makes me thankful for the good air quality I have back home, as long as I don’t call Los Angeles, Houston or a dense, industrial Chinese city my home.


When the warm months come, I know the air will get better with nobody burning coal through the night to heat their homes, but for now the smog can get pretty thick.