Date: 21 April Saturday | Time: 13.30 | Location: Kadıköy Mecra (Caferağa Mahallesi, Dumlupınar Sk. No: 5, Kadikoy / Istanbul)
Projects that do not meet the real needs of people and ignore the rights of nature are unsustainable. The permits given to gold mining in the protected areas, the nuclear power plants to be constructed, the new channel planned to be opened parallel to the Bosphorus, the construction of a third bridge that slaughtered millions of trees; all further intensify the pressure on the already fragile ecosystem.
The approach of “growth at all costs”, in other words, short-sighted immediate economic growth-oriented practices is one of the biggest threats to the well-being of societies. However, governments do not grant their citizens the right to participate in the decision-making process of these projects, which will have significant impacts on their lives.
This book presents an overview of “unnecessary” and “top-down imposed” projects in Turkey and South European countries and it shares experiences gained in the fight against them. The possible ways to increase participation in decision-making processes are discussed and ideas are exchanged on how to make local ecological movements stronger. In addition, we see that short-sighted economic growth-oriented policies are not the only option at hand, and in terms of economic growth and employment creation capacity; Green Transformation policies at peace with nature and society are better.
The International Mega-Projects Conference, which was organized by the Green Thought Association in October 2013, discussed the results of growth-oriented urban development. The 3rd Bridge has been completed since then, construction license has beeb granted for the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor building and Istanbul’s biggest nightmare, Kanal Istanbul,is on the agenda again. Under such precarious conditions, we decided to publish as this book, the findings of the conference where the ecological, economic, and social costs of the Mega-Projects were discussed. We will also organize a panel and forum to talk about the cost of the Kanal Istanbul Project on Istanbul and on the future.
PRESENTATIONS:
Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal
Hande Paker
Akgün İlhan
Representatives from the Northern Forest Defense and the Istanbul City Defense