Carbon emissions, renewable energy and economic growth in Turkey: Empirical analysis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis

The aim of this study is to test the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in case of Turkey. For this purpose, a model in cubic form has been established with the following variables: CO2 emissions per capita, real GDP per capita, energy using per capita, renewable energy using per capita and trade openness. A long-term relationship has been found by using ARDL Bounds testing approach. According to empirical findings, a N-shaped cubic polynomial relationship has been found between per capita CO2 emissions and per capita real GDP. According to the long-term statistically significant coefficient estimates; per capita energy using's positive, per capita renewable energy using's negative and trade openness's positive effect on the per capita CO2 emissions have been found. According to empirical evidence, it would be highly beneficial that reshaping Turkey's energy matrix in favor of renewable energy. Keywords: Environmental Kuznets Curve, Turkish economy, ARDL, Renewable energy, CO2 emissions