Abstract: In all countries, the priority of policymakers is to reduce carbon emissions without reducing economic growth performance. Progress in innovation is one of the main measures that can be used to reduce carbon emissions. It is important to demonstrate the impact of innovation at the sectoral level, in terms of more realistic data on policy measures. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of innovation on carbon emissions on a sectorial basis for fourteen countries in the G20, for the period between 1991 and 2017. The selected countries are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States for which data is available. The results show that the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is invalid and, in the long-term, innovations did not have a statistically significant effect on the energy sector, transport sector, and other sectors. It was also found that while an increase in innovation in the industrial sector leads to a reduction in carbon emissions, an increase in innovation in the construction sector increases carbon emissions. Therefore, it can be recommended that, in addition to national policies to reduce CO2 emissions, specific policies should be implemented for each sector separately.

Biography: Dr. Yıldırım is working as associate professor at Department of Economics, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, Turkey. He got his bachelor, master’s degrees and Ph.D. degree in Economics from Kocaeli University. While working as a doctoral student, he worked at the University of Almeria-Spain for a while.

He has published more than fifty articles in Web of Science and other scientific indexed peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Environmental Management, Resources Policy, Energy & Environment, Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, Economic Systems, Emerging Markets, Finance and Trade, International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy among others. He has numerous book editors and chapters. He is a reviewer in many journals with high impact factors in the fields of environment and economy. He is also the managing editor of the Journal of Emerging Economies and Policy. He is on the editorial boards of several scientific indexed peer-reviewed journals. His current research interests are current and emerging issues such as environment & sustainable development, energy and macroeconomics issues. He worked as an executive and a researcher in many projects for the employment of disadvantaged groups for a sustainable economy (one of its projects is award-winning).