Turkish villagers demand COP31 leaders see for themselves devastation caused by coal
Villagers say the mine has destroyed forests and homes, while the operator argues expansion is needed for energy security and jobs.
- As COP31 begins Monday in Antalya, Turkey showcases renewable energy while activists like Nejla Isik reject the summit, citing lignite mine expansion threatening Mugla province. "I won't go to COP where we already know they won't listen to us, while my village here is burning," Isik said.
- A 2025 law and a January decree signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan authorized emergency expropriation of 679 plots for mining expansion. Locals, including Nejla, filed lawsuits challenging these government-ordered land grabs affecting their communities.
- On March 31, activist Esra Isik was arrested while protesting an emergency expropriation decision affecting six villages. Charged with "obstructing an official carrying out their duty," she remains jailed pending trial, a development supporters say amplified their struggle internationally.
- YK Enerji general manager Ahmet Eyidogan defended the project, stating the thermal plant creates jobs for 70 percent of the local village while supplying electricity to two million households. The firm claims it will spare "village centres, mosques, schools and graves" during restoration.
- Resident Aytac Yakar, 56, fled her home village of Isikdere in 2018 when it was swallowed by a mine, only to face the same threat of displacement again. This pattern of repeated land loss underscores the precarious future for villagers as mining permits expand.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Residents of the Turkish village of Ikizköy have demanded that COP31 leaders leave the halls of the climate conference in Antalya and see for themselves the consequences of coal mining near the Akbelen forest. The village is located in the southwestern province of Mugla, a few hundred kilometers west of Antalya. “These leaders should come here. They should not come to Antalya, but to Akbelen, to Ikizköy,” local representative Necla Isik told Reu…
On Monday, the 31st World Climate Conference will begin in Antalya. Turkey wants to show itself from its best side with a campaign to expand renewable energies. However, coal still accounts for the largest share of electricity generation - more than in any other European country.
Despite the destruction of the environment, the deaths of miners and the deaths of the residents of the power stations, the Turkish power wants to produce more coal. In the south-western part of the country, the village of Ikizköy tries to resist.
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