Residents of Ikizkoy are asking COP31 leaders to visit a nearby lignite-mining area, highlighting local environmental concerns as Turkey promotes greater electrification at the climate talks.
Reuters reported Nov. 8 that Nejla Isik, an elected community official, appealed for Turkish government leaders and U.N. officials to leave the Antalya conference and visit her village near Akbelen forest in Mugla province. Residents have opposed mine expansion for years, saying lignite extraction has destroyed forest and put olive groves, farmland and nearby communities at risk.
The dispute reflects a wider energy challenge for Turkey. Ember data show coal generated 34% of the country’s electricity in 2025, the largest share of any source. Ember also ranked Turkey as Europe’s leading coal-based power producer. Yenikoy-Kemerkoy Energy’s website says mines around Akbelen supply plants that generate just over 2% of Turkey’s electricity.
Reuters also reported that Esra Isik, 26, was held before trial for 42 days after demonstrating against a planned land seizure for mining. In July, a court gave her a two-year term on a charge of resisting public officials. She remains out of custody while her appeal proceeds. Esra said she viewed the punishment as an effort to deter people from defending their land and communities.
A Human Rights Watch report in October accused Turkish authorities of arbitrary arrests and prosecutions of environmental activists in Akbelen and elsewhere. The government says officers intervene when demonstrations break the law or pose a threat to public order.
Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said moving to cleaner energy would be difficult because thousands of people work in the mines, Reuters reported. He called nuclear power the most viable alternative and said Turkey aims to reach 10 gigawatts of nuclear generation capacity by 2040. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change lists COP31 in Antalya for Nov. 9-20.
