Financial solutions for sustainable development: A comparison of the European Union and Türkiye in terms of ESG performance

The global climate crisis, limited access to clean water and energy resources, and the fight against poverty are among the international social issues that have become the focus of today's world. These environmental issues, added to existing socio-economic problems, have led to the emergence of the concepts of green transformation and sustainable development. This transformation process, which concerns every individual in the world, makes green thinking mandatory in all areas, including financial systems. In this context, the thesis aims to examine financial sustainability on a large scale and analyse the differences between Türkiye and European Union (EU) practices. In today's world, where economies are transitioning to green transformation, evaluations have been made from the perspective of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings currently used in the financial sectors of Türkiye and the EU. The aim is to highlight the differences in practices by comparing the causality analyses presented in the sections compiled from scattered data and to contribute to the literature on this subject. Throughout the thesis, the mission has been to shed light on the process by identifying the shortcomings/flaws, opportunities, and benefits of the green economy in Türkiye.