The unequal vulnerability of Kurdish and Azeri minorities in the case of the degradation of Lake Urmia, Iran

Maja Zenko,Sanjin Uležić

doi:10.2458/v26i1.22729

Maja Zenko, Sanjin Uležić

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2458/v26i1.22729

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Abstract

This article explores the differences between the vulnerability of two ethnic minorities faced with the same environmental disaster, along with the causes of those disparities. Set in the context of the degradation of Lake Urmia in north-western Iran, the study problematizes the unequal access to political power of the Kurdish and Azeri minorities and the historical dynamics of marginalization and empowerment. It links those dynamics with the current differential vulnerability of the members of the two minorities living in proximity of the lake, who have traditionally been dependent on agriculture as a means of subsistence. The degradation of the lake has severely affected the agricultural production in the region through the salinization of irrigation water and the degradation of arable land. The study focuses on households in the proximity of the lake with the goal of exploring to what extent their ethnicity determines their vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the face of the disaster. We find that ethnic politics plays a role in the access to irrigation water and the potential for income diversification, as well as being a component of the coping capacity embedded in social networks. Additionally, we find that ethnicity is a determinant of the availability of economic resources, and strongly influences the knowledge of – and willingness to participate in – governmental and non-governmental projects to mitigate the effects of the environmental disaster.Key words: vulnerability, ethnicity, Iran, political power, minorities, environmental degradation, Lake Urmia

Highlights

With environmental disasters becoming more frequent at a global scale, understanding people's vulnerability to them is becoming critical for their mitigation (IPCC 2012)
Having traced the development of unequal political power between the Kurdish and Azeri minority in Iran, we argue that the increased vulnerability of the former to environmental disaster is produced by an absence of significant political power
This leads to unfavorable treatment in terms of any national policy of resource distribution or development, and manifests itself in discriminatory micro- and meso-level practices. These contribute to a structurally embedded reproduction of the power disadvantage of the Kurdish minority. This corresponds to a main thesis of the political ecology approach, that the function of social conditions and historical circumstances determine vulnerability

Summary

Introduction

With environmental disasters becoming more frequent at a global scale, understanding people's vulnerability to them is becoming critical for their mitigation (IPCC 2012). Not all individuals and groups are affected by the same hazard, as people's vulnerability is greatly determined by social relations, discrimination, inequality and their access to resources (Birkmann and Wisner 2006). The vulnerability of people in the face of a hazard reflects their spatial, social, economic and political marginalization within society (Gaillard 2010; Lewis 1999; Wisner et al 2004). Ethnic minorities are frequently among the most vulnerable groups (Clark et al 2005; Cutter et al 2009; Elliott and Pais 2006; Peacock et al 1997) due to structural discrimination, which leads to their economic and geographical marginalization (Bolin and Kurtz 2018; Cutter et al 2009; Fothergill et al 1999). Cultural barriers (Cutter et al 2003), as well as inadequate representation of their interests in environmental decision-making increase their vulnerability (Dash 2013)

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