Turkey's sustainable development performance in terms of green economy indicators

"Sustainable Development" is a concept that almost all of the countries trying to apply in to their economies. It is possible to cover both the needs of present and the next generation without diminishing possibilities of next generation, by protection environment and using the natural resources efficiently. In Turkey, we need to have a structure which is environmentally-conscious and non-destructive of natural resources. As a result of the realization that economic growth is increasingly proceeding at the expense of environmental quality, the subject about the impossibility of business-as-usual growth trend started to grasp interest. In addition, global crises experienced in recent years showed that the current economic system is unsustainable. Therefore, the concept of the green economy has become the agenda of international platforms. Many countries try to measure the damage of the existent growth trend on the earth by means of green economy indicators. One of the most popular of green economy indicators are ecological footprint index. In this study, it will be evaluated to Turkey's sustainable development performance in terms of ecological footprint index. The assumption that Turkey's current growth pattern is unsustainable is confirmed by the indicators of ecological footprint. With Turkey's rapid economic growth and population growth in recent years, Turkey's per capita ecological footprint increases, while its per capita biological capacity decreases. Key words: Sustainable Development, Green Economy, Ecological Footprint, Turkey, Biocapacity.