Informed Comment Homepage

Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Header Right

  • Featured
  • US politics
  • Middle East
  • Environment
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Energy
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • About
  • Archives
  • Submissions

© 2025 Informed Comment

  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Energy
Video of the Day: Turkish Economy Flourishing but needs to go Green

Video of the Day: Turkish Economy Flourishing but needs to go Green

Juan Cole 12/11/2013

Tweet
Share
Reddit
Email

Euronews reports, “Turkey’s economy continues to boom”

Euronews notes that the Turkish economy had a growth spurt in the third quarter, and it is certainly doing better than other non-oil states in the region or than most in Europe.

One drag on the economy, though, is an increase in Turkish petroleum imports. This problem is going to get worse, and could constrain Turkey’s future.

Turkey’s oil imports are expected to double during the next decade. Its main source in recent years has been Iran, with Russia coming in second. (This datum helps explain Turkey’s delight at the US-Iran negotiations that might reduce sanctions). Most of the imports are in the form of diesel fuel.

Some of the diesel is probably being used in generators, making electricity. That is awful for the earth, and very expensive. Turkey is rich in solar, wind and wave energy, and should make a big press to increase those energy sources, since it does not have oil of its own to speak of.

General Electric is investing $5 billion in Turkish wind farms, which is the right move for both parties, but only a beginning.

Filed Under: Energy, Environment, Turkey

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

Primary Sidebar

Support Independent Journalism

Click here to donate via PayPal.

Personal checks should be made out to Juan Cole and sent to me at:

Juan Cole
P. O. Box 4218,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548
USA
(Remember, make the checks out to “Juan Cole” or they can’t be cashed)

STAY INFORMED

Join our newsletter to have sharp analysis delivered to your inbox every day.
Warning! Social media will not reliably deliver Informed Comment to you. They are shadowbanning news sites, especially if "controversial."
To see new IC posts, please sign up for our email Newsletter.

Social Media

Bluesky | Instagram

Popular

  • Top Things You Still Think You Know About Iran that are Not True
  • Iran's Grand Strategy - Vali Nasr
  • Colonial Logic, not Jewish Wisdom Guides Israel's Wars
  • Why Trump Bombed Iran: Preserving US and Israeli Nuclear Supremacy in the Middle East
  • Air Campaigns don't Win Wars on their Own: Why Israel will largely Fail in Iran

Gaza Yet Stands


Juan Cole's New Ebook at Amazon. Click Here to Buy
__________________________

Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires



Click here to Buy Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam


Click here to Buy The Rubaiyat.
Sign up for our newsletter

Informed Comment © 2025 All Rights Reserved