Environmental policies in Turkey

Urban growth in Turkey, combined with industrialization, has led to air and water pollution and to the generation of waste and noise. The passing of environmental legislation and the creation of the Environment Ministry are examples of the adoption by the Turkish government of sustainable development as the guiding principle of their environmental policies. A report prepared by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) offers a set of recommendations for consideration by the government of Turkey and suggests that recent environmental measures be followed up by integrating environmental and, more specifically, economic policies in all sectors of the economy and by vigorously implementing existing laws and regulations through institutional and financial improvements. Implementing policies that promote sustainable development could be considerably strengthened by institutional changes in the management of environmental resoures, by improving both the existing mechanism for implementation and the finance of environmental protection and conservation.