DETERMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTIONS AND AWARENESS TOWARDS REDUCING CARBON FOOTPRINT

In today's world where humans have exceeded limits of the planet, natural resources are becoming increasingly important. Together with the concept of sustainable living, making the agenda to conduct ecological measurements in the early 1990s, the concept of ecological footprint offers great contributions to creating ecological risk profiles. Today, it can be seen that many countries' Ecological Footprint exceeds their biocapacity. One of the most important components of the concept, carbon footprint is strongly associated with society's consumption forms, perceptions and attitudes. In this study carried out in Izmir province, in Turkey, trends and perceptions towards reducing ecological footprints left by society were analysed within the scope of ecosystem services using survey method. As a result of the study, it has been observed that ecological deficit emerging as a result of humans' perspectives on the natural environment and their consumption habits is increasing with each passing day.