Özet:

The environment, which is the main source of society’s well-being, has become a major threat to society’s well-being today. The effectiveness of the measures to be taken for the "quality environment" that is placed on the basic needs list depends on the identification of the relationships between environmental pollution and macroeconomic variables. In this study, the relationship between environmental pollution and macroeconomic variables affecting it in Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Turkey was analyzed by Panel Data Method for the period 1995-2016. The environmental pollution variable is calculated by Basic Components Analysis (PCA) taking into account the gases that cause air pollution (CO_2, CH_4, N_2 O, NH_3, NMVOC, CO and NO_x). The explanatory variables are income per person, direct foreign investments, human development index and environmental taxes. According to the Pedroni equalization test, the variables are equalized over a long period of time. Pedroni FMOLS and DOLS results show that the long-term increase in the human development index significantly reduces environmental pollution. According to FMOLS, environmental taxes do not have an impact, while according to DOLS, environmental taxes increase environmental pollution. So it is possible to say that developing "environmental awareness" on environmental pollution will have stronger effects than authority practices such as taxes.

Anahtar Kelimeler: