Agriculture and Environmental Kuznets Curves in the case of Turkey: evidence from the ARDL and bounds test

The paper empirically analyses the long run relationship between agricultural performance and the carbon dioxide emission in Turkey by using the annual data covering 1968-2010. The Bounds test approach for the co-integration and ARDL (Autoregressive Distributed Lag) method are employed to show the existence of long-term relationship between the carbon dioxide emission and its determinants in this country. The results consistent with the Environmental Kuznets Curves (EKC) hypothesis show that the real GDP has a significant positive impact on the carbon emission and its square has a significant negative impact on the carbon emission both in the short run and long run. The results also show that agriculture has a significant negative impact on the carbon dioxide emission level in both periods. Consequently, the findings suggest that the policies or reforms that are increasing or supporting agricultural production may help to decrease the carbon dioxide emission levels of the countries.