Environmental Degradation Caused by Turkish Incursions and Practices in Kurdish Areas

Turkey’s human rights crisis has been spilling across its borders. The environment has been overshadowed by the Turkish government’s prioritization of development and security interests, and thereby incurred damages due to neglect. Simultaneously, a lot of damage has been inflicted on the environment systematically as the Turkish government weaponizes it against minorities, like Kurds, and other opposition groups. This thesis will explore the two areas where most of the harm has been inflicted: deforestation and water management. To investigate that, I relied on public officials’ testimonies, eyewitness accounts, geospatial analysis, among other sources. An adequate response to this crisis involves various approaches, combining short and long term solutions, and amendments to both the domestic and international legal codes