AB ÜLKELERİNDE EKONOMİK BÜYÜME VE BİYOKAPASİTENİN EKOLOJİK AYAK İZİ ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİ

Öz

Son otuz yılda, ekonomik büyüme, enerji tüketimi ve çevresel bozulma arasındaki ilişki, özellikle Çevresel Kuznets Eğrisi (EKC) hipotezi çerçevesinde önemli ölçüde akademik ilgi görmüştür. Önceki çalışmalar çoğunlukla çevresel kirliliği ölçmek için karbondioksit (CO₂) emisyonlarını kullanırken, son dönemde ekolojik ayak izi, çevresel bozulmayı daha kapsamlı ve çok boyutlu şekilde temsil eden bir gösterge olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Ekolojik ayak izi, bir nüfusun tüketimini sürdürebilmek ve atıklarını bertaraf edebilmek için gerekli olan biyolojik olarak üretken kara ve su alanlarını ölçerken; biyolojik kapasite, bu kaynakların ekosistemler tarafından yenilenme kapasitesini yansıtır. Bir ülke ya da dünyada kişi başına düşen ekolojik ayak izi, kişi başına düşen biyokapasiteyi aştığında, doğal kaynaklar sürdürülemez bir şekilde kullanılıyor demektir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, 1993–2023 dönemi için 27 Avrupa Birliği üye ülkesinde ekonomik büyüme ve biyolojik kapasitenin ekolojik ayak izi üzerindeki etkilerini ampirik olarak incelemektir. Çalışmada ekonomik genişleme ile doğal kaynak kapasitesinin çevresel sürdürülebilirlik üzerindeki etkileri birlikte değerlendirilmiştir. Panel veri analizi sonuçları, hem ekonomik büyümenin hem de biyolojik kapasitenin ekolojik ayak izi üzerinde pozitif ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir etkiye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu bulgular, artan biyolojik kapasiteye rağmen ekonomik büyümenin çevresel baskıyı artırabileceğine işaret etmekte ve mevcut büyüme eğilimlerinin sürdürülebilirliği konusunda soru işaretleri doğurmaktadır. Çalışma, büyüme odaklı ekonomi politikalarının ekolojik sonuçlarına ışık tutarak, Avrupa Birliği bağlamında sürdürülebilir kalkınma odaklı politika çerçevelerine duyulan gereksinimi vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ekolojik Ayak Izi
• Biyokapasite
• Ekonomik Büyüme
• Çevresel Sürdürülebilirlik
• Panel Veri Analizi

THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND BIOCAPACITY ON ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN EU COUNTRIES

Öz

Over the past three decades, the relationship between economic growth, energy consumption, and environmental degradation has garnered significant scholarly attention, often framed within the context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. While earlier studies predominantly utilized carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions as a proxy for environmental pollution, recent research emphasizes the ecological footprint as a more comprehensive and multidimensional indicator. The ecological footprint measures the biologically productive land and water area required to sustain a population’s consumption and waste assimilation, whereas biocapacity reflects the regenerative capacity of ecosystems. When the ecological footprint per capita in a country or the world exceeds the biocapacity per capita, natural resources are used in an unsustainable way. The primary aim of this study is to empirically investigate the effects of economic growth and biocapacity on the ecological footprint across 27 European Union member states over the period 1993–2023. In the study, the effects of economic expansion and natural resource capacity on environmental sustainability are evaluated together. Panel data analysis reveals that both economic growth and biocapacity exert a positive and statistically significant impact on ecological footprint. These findings suggest that economic development, even when accompanied by increased biocapacity, may contribute to heightened environmental pressure, raising concerns about the sustainability of current growth trajectories. By highlighting this dynamic, the study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the ecological implications of growth-oriented economic policies and underscores the need for integrated, sustainability-focused policy frameworks in the EU context.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ecological Footprint
• Biocapacity
• Economic Growth
• Environmental Sustainability
• Panel Data Analysis

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