"‘They can make you disappear just like that’- Climate Activism in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq"
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2024-08-29
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en
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Recent years have seen a surge of climate activism worldwide. While activists in the Global North have received considerable academic attention, climate movements in highly vulnerable countries in the Global South remain under-researched. This thesis explores how Iraqi Kurdish climate activists navigate the region’s significant vulnerability to climate change, coupled with political instability and ongoing national liberation efforts. By drawing on eleven semi-structured interviews and employing both political opportunities theory and a climate justice framework, the study finds generally limited political opportunities. However, the Kurdistan Region's relative openness to climate discussions allows activists to approach the issue from an environment-first perspective, where the cause is not politicized and social justice concerns are not integrated. Activists can initiate meaningful actions in the absence of government infrastructure, particularly through initiatives such as recycling, tree planting, and awareness-raising. This approach contrasts with the often decolonial strategies employed by groups in the Global South and other parts of Kurdistan, indicating that the mere existence of colonialism does not automatically lead to the emergence of decolonial climate activism. Further research is required to examine the impact of different Kurdish civic cultures and varying degrees of statehood on the methods and strategies employed in climate activism.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen