Sustainable energy in Turkey: aspiration and endurance

Abstract

As a developing country, Turkey’s prosperity and welfare depends heavily on having access to reliable and secure supplies of energy. As a result, the country’s future energy requirements have become a policy priority in recent years. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas are currently the world’s primary energy sources. These energy sources have depleted in reserves in recent years and they can also cause irreparably damage to the environment such as global warming and climate change. These environmental concerns can be addressed, to some extent, through more sustainable solutions such as the use of renewable energy resources. In Turkey, the economic and environmental impacts of fossil fuels use have become hard to ignore. In recent years, Turkey has been catching up with global call to shift to renewable energy use and is now putting a focus on renewable energy in its future energy mix. The paper discusses challenges and concerns over the sustainable energy of the country.