Abstract

Especially since the political and economic reforms of the 1980s, the Turkish economy has largely followed a steep growth trajectory (Keyman and Önis¸, 2007). ¹ As observed in many developing countries with similar conditions, economic development in Turkey has had a severely unfavorable impact on environmental processes and outcomes. As the (over)use of natural resources expanded and intensified—as evinced by Turkey’s depleted mineral wealth, the explosive growth of tourism facilities particularly in coastal areas, and the dramatic decline in forest quality and quantity—the exponential growth of consumption and the accompanying pollution has seriously degraded ecosystems’ ability to cope with the side effects of economic progress. The cumulative effects of these twin processes have now reached a point where they not only stand to trigger serious social conflict, but also undermine the potential for continued economic growth in the long term.