The relationship between energy consumption and air pollution: An empirical study on Turkey

Technological advances, increasing population, industrialization and growing economies in our world, which is developing and changing day by day, have brought about an increase in demand for energy. The fact that Turkey, like other countries, meets most of its energy needs from non-renewable energy sources, creates negative effects on air quality and the environment. For this reason, examining energy consumption and air pollution is important in terms of improving the air quality of countries and guiding policies to combat climate change. In this study, it is aimed to determine the direction and size of the relationship between energy consumption and air pollution in Turkey. Specifically, the study will make significant contributions to the relevant literature, as it is one of the first studies that calculates air pollution based on the Particulate Matter 10 variable at the provincial level and throughout Turkey and empirically examines its relationship with energy consumption. In this study, a panel data set covering 77 provinces of Turkey and the period between 2008-2020 was created and the relationship between energy consumption and air pollution was analyzed with the help of econometric models. In the analyzes, Particulate Matter 10 data belonging to the provinces were used as the dependent variable, while electricity consumption per capita, education level, average household size, per capita income, dollar exchange rate and total export data were used as independent variables. In summary, the results of econometric estimation analysis revealed that there is a positive relationship between Turkey's energy consumption and air pollution. Keywords: Energy Consumption, Particulate Matter 10, Air Pollution.