Abstract:
Turkey, as one of the earliest permanently settled regions in the world, is a country where the mining industry dates back to 10000 B.C. Since it occupies the significant portion of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt, it benefits from a highly varied geology. It is the tenth ranked producer of minerals in the world in terms of diversity. Around 77 different minerals exist and 60 of them are currently exploited economically. Mining represents approximately 4 per cent of Turkey's GDP. In recent years, the value of mineral exports has been steadily increased and reached up to 4 billion USD. In this sense, Turkey can be considered to be an important player in the global mining industry.
Development in technology, increasing environmental awareness in public and new laws and legislations have inevitably compelled mining sector to adhere to principles of sustainability. In February 2009, Turkey became signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, and therefore, had to come up with policies for cleaner development supported by external sources of finance. Implementing new technologies in every stage of mining industry and targeting reduction of emissions will be obligatory in the future for Turkey. This paper comprehensively presents the general overview of Turkey's Mining industry and investigates the challenges, issues, and opportunities from a sustainable perspective.
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