Suryaa International Desk: Against the backdrop of the COP-31 climate summit hosted in Turkey, rural residents and environmental activists are raising strong protests against government policies. Local people have urged world leaders not to limit themselves to the host city of Antalya, but to personally visit and inspect regions in the country being destroyed due to coal mining. Specifically, they requested leaders to directly see how decades of open-pit lignite coal mining near Ikizkoy village in Mugla province has been destroying nature and their livelihoods.
Local leader Nejla Isik, along with fellow residents, voiced the hardships faced for decades due to expanding coal mines near their village. She stated that several villages have already disappeared because of mine expansion, forcing locals to lose their homes and migrate. Residents reported living amidst dust and coal smoke emitted from the mines, leading to continuous health issues