Tourism, transport energy consumption, and the carbon dioxide emission nexus for the USA: Evidence from wavelet coherence and spectral causality approaches

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamic relationship between tourism, transport energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions in the United States from the 1^st quarter of 1995 to the 4^th quarter of 2019. To this end, we utilize the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), the Wavelet Coherence Approach (WCA), and the Breitung-Candelon spectral granger causality approaches. The empirical outcomes confirm that the variables included in the model exhibit cointegration. The estimations of the wavelet coherence approach confirm that tourism stimulates transport energy consumption, whereas both tourism and energy consumption bolster carbon emissions in the United States. The outcomes for the Breitung-Candelon spectral granger causality approach suggest that our variables exhibit causal associations at various frequencies. These are findings are also robust to alternative econometrics specifications. These empirical outcomes underscore the fact that tourism propel both transport energy consumption and carbon emissions. Our study helps policymakers in regards to revisiting the role of tourism and transport energy consumption concerning emissions in order to cope with environmental challenges in the United States.

Keywords:

• ARDL
• Co₂ emission
• spectral causality
• tourism
• transport energy consumption
• United States
• wavelet coherence

Author contributions

Idea conceptualization & writing: Sadam Hussain

Results & discussion: Nazakat Ullah Khan & Aamir Aijaz Syaed

Literature review & formal analysis: Assad Ullah

Conceptual and computational inputs: Heesup Han

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 https://sustainabletravel.org/issues/carbon-footprint-tourism

2 U.S. Energy Consumption by the Transportation Sector | Bureau of Transportation Statistics (bts.gov)

3 Emissions of Carbon Dioxide in the Transportation Sector | Congressional Budget Office (cbo.gov)

4 International tourism, number of arrivals - United States | Data (worldbank.org)