The present often eclipses both the past and the future, and 2009 was one such year.
Two consecutive years of drought had a heavy toll, leading to water shortages that caused a minor epidemic in Ankara. The signing of the Kyoto Protocol did not imply that the necessary actions were being taken, nor did it ensure clean water would flow from the tap.
Globally, food prices surged that year. As the climate crisis deepened, affordable food was becoming a distant dream.
The world also began questioning the post-Berlin Wall economic orthodoxy triggered by the U.S. mortgage crisis.
Amidst these challenges, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Turkey celebrated its 15th anniversary. Drawing inspiration from Latin America, it established Turkey's first "water court". Three dam projects were put on trial in Yusufeli, Hasankeyf and Munzur.
And they were found guilty.
1 - 2009 was a year marked by a financial crisis and a questioning of the existing global economic order. Moreover, the world was unable to resolve the crisis with another massive development initiative. The conference, which opened the door to critical inquiries, aimed to provide a comprehensive critique of the system, addressing issues from gender equality to ecology. And indeed, it did. (hbs) 2 – hbs Turkey is 15 years old! Semahat Sevim, Yonca Verdioğlu, Ulrike Dufner, Banu Yayla, Erkin Erman, and Saynur Gürçay take turns in the opening scene of the anniversary film. The film captures the spirit of those years, our partners, Taksim Square, Diyarbakır, and much more. It is also the earliest video on our YouTube channel. (hbs) 3 – There was a pandemic undeniably related to climate change and current production relations: Swine flu. (Getty Images) 4 – Turkey issues the Kyoto Protocol in the Official Gazette, 12 years after its signature. (Resmi Gazete) 5 – That same year witnessed two major trials: the Ergenekon and KCK trials. Local Kurdish politicians were paraded in chains in front of the cameras, and the Democratic Society Party was shut down. In 2009, Doğan Holding faced a tax fine that would ultimately lead to the takeover of Turkey's largest media group at the time. (dunyabulteni) 6 – Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first Black president of the United States after eight years of the harsh George Bush administration. Faced with a financial crisis and two ongoing wars, the election of a new president was seen as promising for the fight against climate change. It was also the year when Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, was introduced, the production of which unfortunately generated an enormous carbon footprint. (Getty Images)