How do logistics and financial ındicators contribute to carbon emissions in Turkiye?

Abstract

Increasing carbon emissions (CO2) due to factors such as energy consumption (enco), industrialization, increase in world population, and decrease in green areas with the industrial revolution is one of the main causes of both climate change and global warming. In this context, due to the increasing commercial activities in Turkiye, the rapid growth of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the logistics sector alert the government. However, there is a lack of standard measures for evaluating GHG emissions generated from freight transport operations. To improve this situation, Turkiye's policymakers need to evaluate GHG emissions for energy saving and pollution reduction. This background leads us to examine the GHG emission trajectories and features of Turkiye's freight transport patterns in the last three decades. In this context, it is aimed to determine the impacts of financial development (findev), GDP per capita, energy consumption, and amount of freight carried by rail and road on CO2 emissions within the framework of 1990-2021 time-series data for Turkiye. By doing so, the ARDL bound testing cointegration test is employed and observes that independent variables have similar and different effects on CO2 emissions. Energy consumption, findev, and per capita income variables have a positive effect on CO2 emissions in Turkiye. According to these results, it is seen that the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) is valid in Turkiye. However, the effect of rail and road freight transport (FT) on CO2 emissions is negative. The unexpected finding is related to road FT. The amount of freight transported by road has a decreasing effect on CO2 emissions in Turkiye. This paradoxical situation in Turkiye may be due to the developments in the transportation infrastructure, which has enabled the convergence of space and time in recent years, young and modern vehicle fleets, and the efficiency provided through logistics companies. The findings will assist in formulating specific and effective policies for Turkiye's transport sector.