The role of environmental technologies in carbon decoupling: A pathway to zero emissions in Turkiye

Abstract

This study investigates the direct impact of environmental technologies on carbon emissions in Turkiye (1988–2022) to evaluate the progress of carbon decoupling—the process of separating economic growth from environmental degradation. By analyzing this relationship, the study provides critical insights into the pathways for achieving broader sustainable development goals in emerging economies. The study employs Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression to address endogeneity and analyze how environmental technologies, renewable energy supply, and environmental innovations affect carbon emissions. Key findings indicate that both environmental technologies and renewable energy supply are powerful drivers in reducing carbon emissions, providing strong evidence for their role in the decoupling process. In contrast, environmental innovations exhibit a minor, counterintuitive short-term increase in emissions, suggesting a potential adjustment period or implementation lag before their full environmental benefits are realized. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that the emission-reducing impact of these technologies is significantly stronger at higher levels of pollution, highlighting their critical importance for countries with substantial environmental challenges. The findings suggest that emerging economies should prioritize investments in environmental technologies and renewable energy infrastructure while maintaining a long-term perspective on environmental innovations and implementing progressive environmental policies to achieve more effective decoupling.