Çevre Protestolarını Parti Siyasetinin Üstünde Tutma Mücadelesi: Cerattepe Örneği

Year 2023, , 264 - 288, 13.06.2023

Mesut Karakoç , Busra Soylemez-karakoc

https://doi.org/10.53376/ap.2023.10

Abstract

Artvin ilinde altın ve bakır çıkarılmasına yönelik Cerattepe maden projesi 1980’lerin ortalarından beri ihtilaflı olmuştur. Blokajlar, oturma eylemleri, sosyal medya protestoları, davalar ve imzalı dilekçeler şeklinde gösterilen yerel direniş, 2015-2016 yıllarında zirve yaptı. Bu makale, Cerattepe maden projesine karşı yapılan protestoları motivasyonları, stratejileri, sınırları ve siyaset algıları açısından analiz etmektedir. Orijinal bir anket analizi (N=253) ve röportaj yaparak, yerel halkın maden projesine karşı çıkma konusunda meşru konumunu korumak için aktivizmlerini parti politikalarının üzerinde bir çerçeveye oturttuğunu bulduk. Ulusal düzeydeki siyasi partilerin protestoları siyasallaştırma girişimlerine rağmen bu strateji yıllarca bozulmadan kalmıştır. Bu stratejiyi, ekonomik büyümeyi çevresel meselelerden önceleyen ulusal mutabakat, özel şirketlere güçlü devlet desteği ile neoliberal kalkınmacılık ve toplumdaki yüksek düzeyde siyasi kutuplaşma ile açıklıyoruz. Bu çalışma genel olarak, Türkiye'de çevre sorunları odaklı aktivizmin önündeki zorluklara dair bir kavrayış sunmakta ve yerel halkın çevreye zarar veren bir maden projesine direniş stratejilerini incelemektedir.

Keywords

Cerattepe Maden Projesi, Çevre Hareketleri, Konu Odaklı Aktivizm, Yerel Protestolar, Altın ve Bakır Çıkartma

A Struggle to Keep Environmental Protests Above Party Politics: The Cerattepe Case

Abstract

The Cerattepe mining project for the extraction of gold and copper in the city of Artvin has been controversial since the mid-1980s. Local resistance against the project peaked in 2015-2016 in the form of blockages, sit-ins, social media protests, litigations, and signed petitions. This paper analyzes protests against the Cerattepe mining project in terms of their motivations, strategies, limitations, and political perceptions. Through an original survey analysis (N=253) and interview data, we find that the locals frame their activism as above party politics to keep a legitimate position in resisting the mining project. This strategy has remained intact for several years despite the politicization attempts of resistance from national-level political parties. We explain this strategy with the national consensus on prioritizing economic growth over environmental issues, neoliberal developmentalism with strong state support for private companies, and high levels of political polarization in society. Overall, the study offers an understanding of the challenges in front of environmental issue-based activism in Turkey and reveals the strategies of locals in resisting an environmentally destructive mining project.

Keywords

Cerattepe Mining Project, Environmental Movements, Issue-based Activism, Local Protests, Gold and Copper Extraction

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