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| Sina Mirzaei |
Political scientist Sina Mirzaei, in an interview with Voice of America, explains the reasons behind the ecological disaster at Lake Urmia in the context of Iran's natural resource policies and the state's attitude towards non-Persian communities. He draws attention to the concept of "rentier state" and "environmental racism" within this framework.
"When I started the campaign about Lake Urmia, I wrote briefly that 'you are without water, and I am without a language!' That is, these two entities, without language, I will not exist, and without Lake Urmia, many people will not exist. A great disaster is happening. However, on the other hand, because I do not have a language, I do not know how to protest or in which language to protest. My lake is drying up, and I have no language to protest. The combination of these two policies deeply impacts the existence of society. When these two policies merge, a great disaster arises that is very difficult to resolve," says Sina Mirzaei.
Dr. Razieh Lakeh, director of the Earth Sciences Research Institute at the Iranian Geological Organization, recently emphasized at a scientific conference that "the main factor behind the destruction of Lake Urmia is the inefficient management of water resources." According to Dr. Lakeh, "By not granting water rights, they have brought Lake Urmia to an irreversible state."
Political scientist Sina Mirzaei draws attention to the concept of a rentier government in Iran's natural resource policies, stating, "I think that the concept of rentier state in Iran has not only affected government institutions but also many sectors of society. Rent means owning and using what nature provides without any labor or production. Therefore, in a rentier state, a ground is created where the connection between reward and labor is broken. That is, when any problem arises, instead of putting in labor, a reward-driven approach is adopted."
Mirzaei stresses that in the case of Lake Urmia, the combination of the "rentier state" concept and ecological racism has led to an even greater disaster.
"The Lake Urmia disaster is so great because the minority and peripheral communities suffer the most from environmental catastrophes. Even if we put the rentier concept aside entirely, different policies are pursued in central and peripheral regions. Just as environmental racism manifests itself in Azerbaijan, Ahvaz, and Baluchistan. I feel that these communities are particularly targeted so that forced migrations occur there or rewards can be created for the state. This has happened throughout history," adds Sina Mirzaei.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sina Mirzayi: Mən Urmiyə gölü məsələsində "rentaçı hakimiyyət anlayışı" görürəm