Istanbul, Turkey – Turkey’s parliament on Saturday passed a controversial bill that opens certain agricultural lands including olive groves to mining activities, local media reported, despite widespread opposition.
On Friday, Ali Mahir Basarir of the CHP accused parliament of acting like CEO of energy companies.
“The entire parliament has become CEO of five companies,” he said.
“(Farmers) are on hunger strike, therefore, we will continue to resist” against the draft, he added.
In 2023, local villagers and environmental activists occupied Akbelen forest, inland from the well-known Aegean resort town of Bodrum, to defend it from an energy company that runs a nearby coal mine.
At the time, Erdogan dismissed protesters as “marginals”, saying new coal basins were needed for the country’s power plants as existing reserves were close to depletion.
Turkey ratified the Paris Climate agreement in 2021.
Activists say Turkey has enormous renewable energy potential and does not need to rely on coal to produce electricity.
