ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN TURKEY: ARE THEY OPPOSITE CONCEPTS?

The growing interest in global environmental issues whose importance has been steadily increasing and the demand for environmental quality and their mutual relation with economic growth are closely related. Economic growth, while increasing the level of national income over time, brings with it concerns about environmental quality. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Turkey's economic growth (Gross Domestic Income-GDP) and environmental quality. In this study, the Environmental Kuznet Hypothesis, which assumes a correlation between various indicators of environmental degradation and per capita income in examining the relationship, will be used. The Granger Causality Test and Cointegration Test methods will be used in determining the relationship between the course of environmental degradation in the first phase of economic growth and the degree of environmental effect in the period between 1960 and 2011 (with annual data) in Turkey.