Carbon Footprint and Energy Relationship: Fossil Fuel Vehicles and Electric Vehicles in Turkey

As technology advances today, energy demand is also increasing, with approximately 85% of this demand being met by fossil fuels. The use of fossil fuels leads to the release of greenhouse gases, which are known to be one of the main causes of global warming. Although electrical energy is the most common and easily accessible form of energy, it is not found in nature and must be produced from other energy sources. Renewable energy sources, on the other hand, are not yet sufficient in terms of both cost and meeting energy demand. Therefore, additional taxation is being planned on countries and businesses that use fossil fuels with high greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, the carbon footprint becomes an important parameter for measuring polluting effects. However, calculating the carbon footprint is quite complex, which makes it challenging to ensure fair taxation in energy production and consumption. Thus, it would be fairer to base additional taxation on the amount of greenhouse gases produced per capita in a country. According to calculations, the global average per capita emission of fossil fuel-based greenhouse gases is around 5300 kg. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as major oil producers, are responsible for producing 15 times this average, while Kuwait is responsible for 23 times the average. The largest energy consumers, such as the United States and Russia, emit three times the average, while Germany, Japan, and China contribute approximately twice the amount. For Turkey, this value is around 1.5 times the global average. Recently, electric vehicles (EVs), which have been promoted as a more environmentally friendly option, have been compared to conventional vehicles under the conditions in Turkey. Since each country has different sources of electricity generation, the goal of EVs producing fewer greenhouse gases is influenced by these factors. The results of calculations specific to Turkey show that while EVs are more environmentally friendly compared to gasoline and diesel vehicles, the situation is more complex and debatable for LPG-powered vehicles.