Our Principles

Europe–Kurdistan Ecology Movement

Principles

1. 1. The Earth is a whole and cannot be divided or confined by borders. As an organization, the Europe–Kurdistan Ecology Movement embraces a pluralistic and collective struggle together with all living beings on Earth against the ongoing ecological destruction.

    

   2. Against the mentality of the male-dominated system—which deepens hierarchy and domination through the ideologies of mythology, religion, philosophy, and scientism—the movement is grounded in the paradigm of a democratic, ecological, and women’s liberationist society. It struggles against binary oppositions such as woman–man, nature–society, rural–urban, ruler–ruled, subject–object, reason–emotion, and mind–body, and conducts its activities within this perspective.

    

   3. The movement views the struggle against the statist and power-centered system—its centralist, nationalist, sexist, and individualistic conceptual and institutional structures—as part of the broader struggle for an ecological society. It considers the freedom of diverse identities, cultures, and beliefs, and their autonomous forms of organization, as fundamental to the principles of the democratic nation, confederalism, and democratic autonomy.

    

   4. In opposition to capitalist cities shaped by the destructive structures of industrialism, the movement defines settlement units as ecological units. It advocates the development of eco-cities as spaces of self-governance, direct democracy, and free living, and supports local, decentralized, and autonomous forms of organization.

    

   5. Ecological problems are addressed at the paradigmatic level. Producing solutions that are both local and global is considered vital for our ecological existence and future. Therefore, the movement seeks to strengthen ecological organizations, networks, and the ecological dimension of social and activist consciousness.

    

   6. The movement emphasizes the insufficiency of representative democracy in organizing social living spaces. It advocates the establishment of assemblies and communes to enable local self-governance, where principles of direct democracy are practiced.

    

   7. Ecological consciousness is regarded as the foundational awareness of a moral and political society. Through this consciousness, a harmonious relationship with nature can be developed. The movement identifies the ecological crisis as rooted in the domination of humans over other humans and aims to build a society in which everyone can live equally and freely.

    

   8. Just as humans have rights, all other beings possess rights according to their species and existence. The Ecology Movement opposes the commodification and exploitation of land, water, and air by capitalist modernity in the pursuit of profit. It also opposes all social, political, and economic plans and practices that alienate people from production. Therefore, it defends the right to life of all living beings.

    

   9. The movement promotes the creation of ecological living spaces where direct democracy is practiced, where communities live in harmony with nature, and where energy is produced from clean and renewable sources. It supports efforts to transform existing living spaces into ecological ones.

    

   10. It rejects approaches that treat all living and non-living elements of the Earth merely as “resources” for profit. Instead, it works to establish ecological living conditions in which humans and nature coexist harmoniously, replacing the objectifying perception of nature dominant in modern civilization. It supports proposals and actions aimed at achieving this goal.

    

   11. The movement exposes the destructive impact of war on the environment. It struggles for a world without war and supports diplomacy and peaceful solutions.

    

   12. It opposes the historical oppression between genders and struggles against the reproduction of hierarchical and discriminatory gender roles.

    

   13. Instead of charity-based approaches that deepen hunger and poverty, the movement works toward the development of production-based, communal, and solidarity-oriented economic models.

    

   14. It opposes large-scale monoculture agriculture and the cultivation of genetically modified seeds, which impoverish agricultural production over time and create dependency on global corporations. It recognizes that agricultural diversity and sustainability are essential for life and supports natural agricultural models that preserve this diversity.

    

   15. The movement works to multiply and expand the use of local and indigenous seeds.

    

   16. It supports and protects production models based on small- and medium-scale agriculture and animal husbandry that do not impose domination over nature.

    

   17. It opposes uncontrolled urban expansion and urban transformation models that ignore local realities. As an alternative to capitalist urban planning, it works toward ecological and locally driven urban transformation and strives to build self-sufficient cities.

    

   18. Against urbanization models that threaten rural life, it supports approaches that maintain the balance between rural and urban areas and prioritizes communal organization in both.

    

   19. The movement opposes monopolistic structures that disrupt the social and economic fabric of society. It rejects industrial models based on profit and competition and promotes eco-technology aimed at meeting social needs. Any form of production that does not respect ecological balance is rejected.

    

   20. It opposes all structures, institutions, and systems that monopolize energy. The movement supports the development of renewable and alternative technologies accessible to all and prioritizes energy conservation in energy policies.

    

   21. Recognizing water as a fundamental and vital right for all living beings, the movement opposes its commodification. It also rejects the use of water as a “strategic weapon” against societies through hydro-hegemonic policies.

    

   22. The movement approaches positivist thought critically and values the knowledge and solution methods of ancient cultures. It advocates for a plural and decentralized understanding of knowledge.

    

   23. It opposes all projects that are not based on social needs, including hydroelectric plants (HES), dams, thermal and nuclear power plants, shale gas extraction, mining projects, and sand and stone quarries.

    

   24. The movement struggles against interventions that alter the demographic structure of settlements and opposes all planning and practices by central or local authorities that may harm the environment, historical heritage, or collective social memory.

    

   25. To spread ecological awareness, the movement organizes various initiatives such as ecology academies, journals, television and radio programs, as well as forums, conferences, panels, and similar gatherings to socialize ecological consciousness.