Comparative evaluation of environmental management policies of local governments in Turkey, USA and EU

Nowadays, protection of the environment with the living and non-living organisms on Earth and developing policies to protect the environment are the common burning issues of several countries. In the scope of this study, the development of environmental management and organization for environmental protection in local governments of Turkey, European Union Countries and the USA are emphasized under the light of the explanatory definitions of the environment, environmental problems and consequential pollution, environmental policies, local governments and environmental managements. Environmental policies are determined; services of local governments, comparisons of local governments in terms of organizational structures and sample applications are investigated. Description of environmental management and policies for Turkey is examined. In Turkey, it will be possible to eliminate the problems that arise in environmental policy, environmental management, planning and implementation, by eliminating economic, legal, institutional and administrative deficiencies, developing appropriate policies and making new regulations. Different country management styles in the USA, EU and Turkey also cause differences in the structures and functioning of local governments. While classifying local governments, it is not possible to make a full comparison between the EU and American system and the Turkish system and to match local government units with each other. While there are many differences between the US Federal structure and the German Federal structures, there is no complete similarity between the local governments in the Federal structure system and the local governments in Turkey. Keywords: Environment and environmental problems, environmental management and policies, local governments.