The asymmetric relationship between globalization, tourism, CO2 emissions, and economic growth in Turkey: implications for environmental policy making

Do renewable energy, environmental regulations and green innovation matter for China's zero carbon transition: Evidence from green total factor productivity

Rapid developments in environmental infrastructure have contributed to significant improvements in green total factor productivity, but further investigation is required to provide a detailed assessment to understand the policy mechanisms involved. This paper analyzes environmental progress in China through MMQR, CCEMG, and AMG as empirical strategies for 30 provinces in China. Our empirical results reveal that energy optimization through renewable energy is the most effective channel to improve green total factor productivity, though it is not the only available option. Since environmental regulations, infrastructure development, and green technology innovation also directly impact energy efficiency, adopting these within policy channels will positively impact environmental sustainability. Our empirical approach helps suggest novel environmental policy suggestions. In particular, policymakers must introduce structural changes within energy developments to foster renewable energy. Furthermore, China must increase environmental spending to upgrade its energy infrastructure further and solve ecological issues. These insights offer valuable policy guidance for decision-makers in China and globally, aiming to foster economic and environmental sustainability and achieve zero-carbon transition goals.

Climate change, the by-product of tourism and energy consumption through a sustainable economic growth: a non-linear ARDL analysis for Turkey

Using a non-linear autoregressive distributed lag time-series analysis, this paper investigates the causal relationship between climate change, the tourism sector, and energy consumption in Turkey. The trade-off between a country's economic growth and the environmental degradation caused by tourism and the energy sector is critical in terms of scientifically addressing the issue and developing economic policies. As a result, climate change is used as the dependent variable and is represented by precipitation and temperature separately; the independent variables are tourist arrivals, energy consumption, and economic growth. Data is gathered by various institutions from 1995 to 2020. According to the test results, while positive and negative shocks contribute to the decrease in precipitation and temperature in renewable energy consumption (REC) in the long-run, they affect the increase in precipitation and temperature in non-renewable energy consumption (NREC). In the long-run relationship between tourism and temperature, a decrease in the number of tourist arrivals causes a decrease in temperature and precipitation. The findings reveal that a decrease in the number of tourist arrivals and an increase in REC may aid in decreasing temperature, while the increase in NREC may cause an increase in temperature. Through a case study of Turkey, decision-makers should consider these scientific findings that are in the frame of non-linear analysis as possible scenarios for mitigating climate change and fostering sustainable economic growth with efficient tourism policies for the world.

Does domestic investment matter? A multivariate time series analysis of the energy-CO2 emission-growth nexus in Ghana

The economic cost of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to African economies have increased. Therefore, GHG emissions and their concomitant effect on the environment are fast becoming costly for emerging economies like Ghana. Hence, the justification for the growing literature on the subject. This study employed the Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) bounds test and Granger causality techniques with data from 1983 to 2014. The study examines the dynamic relationship between income growth, power consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in Ghana, capturing the role of domestic investment and foreign direct investment (FDI) in the nexus. All variables were found to be cointegrated in the long run based on the bounds test. The Granger causality test indicates a unidirectional causality from energy consumption to CO₂ emissions and economic growth. Furthermore, a unidirectional causality from CO₂ to economic growth was found in Ghana. Results from the error correction model and the bounds tests indicate that, while energy consumption increases carbon emissions by more than 44%, the lagged values of domestic investment were found to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 41% in both the short run and the long run. Due to the significant effect of domestic investments on the reduction of CO₂ emissions, the study recommends policymakers to adopt policies that may increase domestic capital in place of FDI, which has been proven to exacerbate environmental degradation in host countries.

Does the US regional greenhouse gas initiative affect green innovation?

This study measures the impact of the implementation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) on firms' green innovation initiatives. We used 20 years of panel data from the Fortune 500 list of the US largest companies. Based on DID, a benchmark regression, the RGGI has a significant adverse effect on the green innovation of Fortune 500 companies, and we verified these findings with multiple robustness tests. As we investigate how energy-intensive industries were affected by RGGI, we found that it slowed down green innovation, but it was not statistically significant. This study provides a novel perspective on how the RGGI influences green innovation in firms and how different types of sectors respond to the policy. The findings indicate that the "weak" Porter Hypothesis has not been confirmed in the present carbon trading market (particularly the RGGI) for Fortune 500 firms in the USA. In terms of policy, we believe that a well-covered and differentiated legislation that fosters green innovation while being realistic about the policy's goal and the firm's environmental attitude, like emissions reduction through green innovation, is essential.

Revival of sun-and-beach tourism through the lens of regulatory and risk dimensions of environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability is essential in tourism literature, and sun-and-beach tourism (SBT) is one of the most popular subsections of the tourism field. The appropriate policies and strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic to revive SBT growth through the lens of the regulatory dimension (RED) and risk dimension (RID) of environmental sustainability are gaining timely ground to conduct this research. The current study examined the nexus between SBT, RED, and RID utilizing three novel indexes (i.e., weighted sun-and-beach tourism index, weighted regulatory dimension index, and weighted risk dimension index) by employing the principal component analysis within the framework of six stages of empirical estimation strategy. These three novel indexes combine the most commonly used SBT, RED, and RID indicators. This research tested the CSD and homogeneous, then employed the second generation CIPS-CADF panel unit root test, used an AMG estimator, and employed the panel Toda-Yamamoto (PTY) causality test. The findings revealed that the RED positively influences SBT while the RID mitigates SBT. Results also indicate bidirectional causality between SBT, RID, and RED. In other words, changes in RID and RED have predictive power for the SBT, which further highlights the role of SBT on the RID and RED. Therefore, concerned authorities can focus on environmental sustainability design initiatives and appropriate policy/strategy implications to boost SBT.

Impacts of globalization and energy consumption on environmental degradation: what is the way forward to achieving environmental sustainability targets in Nigeria?

One of the major problems the world is currently facing is climate change. This is due to the use of fossil fuel combustion, which increases the presence of CO₂ emissions and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in several countries of the world, which Nigeria is not exempted from. Against this background, this study examines the impacts of globalization, real income, urbanization, and energy consumption on environmental degradation; and proffer way forward to achieving environmental sustainability targets in Nigeria, using quarterly frequency time series data over a period 1971-2018. To achieve our study objectives, this study makes use of quantile-quantile (Q-Q) approach, developed by Sim and Zhou J Bank Financ 55:1-8, (2015). This approach groups together nonparametric estimation and quantile regression. Empirical results show that, in all quantiles, globalization, real income, urbanization, and energy consumption impact positively on environmental degradation. Thus, we are of the opinion that for the nation to achieve any meaningful environmental sustainability targets, (i) it must shift from economic activities that are dependent and driven by non-renewable energy sources; (ii) enact environmental laws and regulations that prevent indigenous and multinationals firms from using non-renewable energy sources in production activities; (iii) discourage rural-urban migration by enacting policies that would improve life in the rural areas, such as diverting investment of indigenous and multinational companies to be situated in the rural areas; and lastly, (iv) learn from jurisdictional experiences that have successfully replaces non-renewable energy sources with renewable ones for an overall economic growth and environmental sustainability targets for both the immediate and future generations.

Does tourism industry agglomeration improve China's energy and carbon emissions performance?

The tourism industry is seen as having great potential, but tourism development and tourism activities may increase energy consumption and environmental pressure. Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2000 to 2017, we calculate the energy and carbon emission performance by using the non-radial distance function (NDDF) and further investigate the impact of tourism industry agglomeration on energy and carbon emission efficiency by combining the panel fixed effect model, mediation effect model and quantile regression. Our research results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between tourism industry agglomeration and energy and carbon emission efficiency, and tourism industry agglomeration can improve energy and carbon emission efficiency at present. At the same time, the impact of tourism industry agglomeration on energy and carbon emission efficiency has regional heterogeneity. The industrial structure upgrading plays an important role in the process of tourism industry agglomeration. In addition, with the improvement of energy and carbon emission performance, the impact of tourism industry agglomeration is also different. These findings suggest that policymakers should promote tourism industry agglomeration to realize energy conservation and emission reduction. The Chinese government should focus on the tourism resources and advantages of different regions and formulate differentiated regional policies to improve ecological performance.

Asymmetric nexus among financial globalization, non-renewable energy, renewable energy use, economic growth, and carbon emissions: impact on environmental sustainability targets in India

Financial globalization has been argued to contribute to the increase/decrease in greenhouse gases and hence global temperature. India, according to International Energy Agency (IEA), is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, where the consumption of the few rich produces about seven times carbon emissions when compared with the poorest households. This current research explores the asymmetric effect of financial globalization on carbon emissions, while controlling for non-renewable energy utilization, renewable energy consumption, and economic expansion. The study uses yearly data stretching from 1970 to 2018 and batteries of econometric approaches in order to investigate these associations. The outcomes of the NARDL unveiled that (i) a positive (negative) shock in non-renewable energy utilization increases (decrease) carbon emissions; (ii) favorable (unfavorable) variations in renewable energy consumption decrease carbon emissions; (iii) a favorable shock in financial development contributes to carbon emissions; and (iv) a positive shock in growth impacts carbon emissions positively. Based on the empirical outcomes, we are of the opinion that policymakers should intensify efforts in putting in place appropriate environmental policy (green economy) that emphasizes the importance of renewable driven economy via energy-saving and energy-efficient technologies. Else, increased consumption on non-renewable energy sources among the few rich in India and any other countries struggling with implementing green economy would be devastating to both the immediate and future generations.

Exploring the impact of tourism and energy consumption on the load capacity factor in Turkey: a novel dynamic ARDL approach

In the last two decades, the tourism and energy sectors have grown rapidly and boosted economic growth, but it is inevitable that these sectors will cause environmental changes. So far, attempts have been made to determine the impact of the tourism and energy sectors on environmental degradation by examining pollution indicators such as CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint. However, these indicators neglect the supply side of the environment. In this context, this paper, for the first time, examines the influence of tourism, income, and energy consumption on the load capacity factor that results from dividing biocapacity by ecological footprint. Thus, the study aims to conduct a comprehensive sustainability analysis for Turkey by assessing the environmental quality on the supply and demand side. For this purpose, the study employs the novel dynamic Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) simulations for the period 1965-2017, and the results indicate that tourist arrivals, energy consumption, and economic growth have a negative long run effect on the load capacity factor. Among these factors, only economic growth exerts a significant impact on the load capacity factor in both the short and long run. In the long run, the negative environmental effect of economic growth is less than in the short run. Therefore, the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is valid for Turkey. Based on the results, some policy recommendations are proposed to help Turkey improve its environmental quality.

Effect of Battery Electric Vehicles on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 29 European Union Countries

This analysis explored the effect of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in a panel of twenty-nine countries from the European Union (EU) from 2010 to 2020. The method of moments quantile regression (MM-QR) was used, and the ordinary least squares with fixed effects (OLSfe) was used to verify the robustness of the results. The MM-QR support that in all three quantiles, economic growth causes a positive impact on GHGs. In the 50th and 75th quantiles, energy consumption causes a positive effect on GHGs. BEVs in the 25th, 50th, and 75th quantiles have a negative impact on GHGs. The OLSfe reveals that economic growth has a negative effect on GHGs, which contradicts the results from MM-QR. Energy consumption positively impacts GHGs. BEVs negatively impacts GHGs. Although the EU has supported a more sustainable transport system, accelerating the adoption of BEVs still requires effective political planning to achieve net-zero emissions. Thus, BEVs are an important technology to reduce GHGs to achieve the EU targets of decarbonising the energy sector. This research topic can open policy discussion between industry, government, and researchers, towards ensuring that BEVs provide a climate change mitigation pathway in the EU region.

What Drives the Eco-Friendly Tourist Destination Choice? The Indian Perspective

Although eco-friendly (pro-environmental) behaviour in tourism has attracted interest among practitioners and scholars, little is known about the influence of these attitudes on the choice of eco-friendly destinations, especially in the context of emerging tourist markets such as India. Thus, this article aims to verify a model of the relationships between attitudes towards the environment and eco-friendly tourism, social and personal norms regarding environmentally responsible behaviour, perceived behavioural control, behavioural intentions regarding eco-friendly destinations and the willingness to pay for such trips using the theory of planned behaviour. The study used an online survey conducted with 598 Indians. The relationships between the variables were analysed using PLS-PM. The most important results indicated that (1) there are significant relationships between the attitude towards the environment, the attitude towards an eco-friendly destination, social and personal norms and behavioural control and intentions regarding travelling to eco-destinations and (2) well-educated young Indian consumers expressed a positive attitude towards eco-friendly destinations; however, there was only a very weak relationship between this attitude and willingness to pay more for trips to them. These findings are valuable for pro-environmental planning and the growing green market/economy, as well as for the discussion on the future of pro-environmental tourism development.

Do Tourism Activities and Urbanization Drive Material Consumption in the OECD Countries? A Quantile Regression Approach

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) elaborately encompass a global goal for sustainable consumption and production (Goal 12: SDGs), thus providing potential drivers and/or pathways to attaining sustainable consumption. In view of this global goal, this study examined the role of real income per capita, urbanization and especially inbound tourism in domestic material consumption for the panel of OECD countries. The study is conducted for the period of 1995 to 2016 by employing the panel quantile approach. Interestingly, an inverted U-shaped relationship between outbound tourism and domestic material consumption is established across the quantiles, thus indicating that sustainable domestic consumption is achievable after a threshold of domestic material consumption is attained. In addition, achieving sustainable consumption through economic or income growth is a herculean task for the OECD countries because the current reality indicates that income growth triggers higher consumption of domestic materials. However, the results suggest that urbanization is a recipe for sustainable domestic consumption since there is a negative and significant relationship between the two parameters across the quantiles. Nevertheless, the study presents relevant policy for efficient material and resources utilization and that is suitable to drive the SDGs for 2030 and other country-specific sustainable ambitions.

Perspectives of globalization and tourism as drivers of ecological footprint in top 10 destination economies

Beyond the anticipated experience associated with tourism destinations, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has further tasked (especially the destination countries) on the importance of tourism to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From this dimension, this study employed the ecological footprint of the 10 most visited countries (France, Spain, United States, China, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, and Thailand) over the period 1995-2016. Specifically, the study employed an econometric approach and found that increase in tourism arrivals and globalization is detrimental to the attainment of sustainable environmental quality in a long term. Precisely, a 1% increase in international arrivals and globalization is responsible for a 0.18 and 0.89% increase in ecological footprint in the long-run. These impacts of tourism activities and globalization are detrimental to the environmental quality of the destination countries. Meanwhile, the real income per capita and biocapacity in the destination countries improve the environmental quality of the panel of destination countries in the long-run. In addition, the study found significant evidence of Granger causality from tourism and real income to ecological footprint without feedback, the globalization-ecological footprint Granger causality nexus is with feedback. Moreover, potentially effective policies for government and other stakeholders especially toward attaining Global goals were proffered in the study.

Globalization-driven CO2 emissions in Singapore: an application of ARDL approach

This study explores the linkage between globalization and CO₂ emissions in Singapore by using long-term data obtained during 1970-2014. The Zivot-Andrew unit root test corroborates that gross domestic production, economic globalization, political globalization, social globalization, square of economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions have a unit root at I(0) and stationary at I(1). In this study, the application of auto-regressive distributed lag model finds a significant linkage between the estimated variables. Short- and long-run coefficients confirm that social globalization and economic globalization will be responsible for reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the future for Singapore. Moreover, this research confirms the presence of environmental Kuznets curve in Singapore. It is proved that a 1% increase in political globalization will increase 2.06% emissions in the long term. The stability of the model is confirmed by diagnostic tests. In addition, policy implications to reduce air pollution are presented in this study.

Pollutant emission effect of tourism, real income, energy utilization, and urbanization in OECD countries: a panel quantile approach

Although the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries are largely regarded as a high human development index and high-income economies, evidence has continued to reveal the existential gap among the member countries drive toward achieving environmental sustainability. Giving this motivation, this research employed a panel quantile approach to examine the role of square of per capita income (the environmental Kuznets curve-EKC hypothesis) and per capita income, tourist arrivals, energy consumption, and urbanization on environmental quality in the panel of (31) selected OECD countries over the period 1995-2016. A handful of vital results were presented in the study. First, the evidence of EKC (inverted U-shaped) proposition is establish just for the lower quantiles while a no EKC (U-shaped) hypothesis is found from the 0.25th to 0.90th quantile. In specific, environmental quality starts to improve when the per capita real income peaked at 11, 271.13 USD (0.05th quantile) and 8, 604.15 USD (0.10th quantile) while the environment becomes damaged after income per capita becomes 89, 321.72 USD (0.25th quantile) and 36, 315.50 USD (0.50th quantile). Moreover, the effect of international tourism arrivals, urbanization, and energy consumption are all significant and damaging to environmental quality across the quantile but with a slightly minimized impact toward the upper quantile. Furthermore, there is statistical significant evidence of Granger causality at least from tourism development, energy consumption, urbanization, and per capita income to carbon emissions. Considering the aforementioned results, the study outlined relevant policy mechanism that is poised to guide the OECD member countries on the sustainable development path.