Environmental degradation & role of financialisation, economic development, industrialisation and trade liberalisation.

This paper is a pioneering endeavour to investigate the determinants of environmental degradation in Australia through a comprehensive framework of EKC and STIRPAT. Specifically, the impacts of multiple factors of socio-economic development including economic growth, trade openness, industrialization, energy consumption on CO2 emissions are analysed. Furthermore, the influences of financial development through different dimensions (financial efficiency, access and depth) in two subsectors (financial markets and institutions) and other proxies of financial development are focused over the period 1980-2014. Empirical results show short as well as long-run differences in the association among the variables. Short-term bidirectional causality prevails between economic growth, energy consumption, industrialization, and stock market development with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, there is no significant evidence found on EKC. This is due to the long-run positive impact of financial development, energy consumption, and trade openness on CO2 emissions. Interestingly, the industrialization process is found to does not affect CO2 emissions. Empirical findings provide insight into why the quality of the Australian environment is truncated with frequent and widespread bushfires and suggest policymakers to have selective and strict environmental-friendly strategies to fulfil a sustainable development goal.

Nexus between financial development & energy intensity: Two sides of a coin?

This study examines the multidimensional impact of financial development (FD) on consumption energy intensity and production energy intensity. A global sample of 81 economies consisting of three subsamples (29 high income [HIEs], 21 upper middle income [UMEs] and 31 low and lower middle income [LMEs]) from 1997 to 2013 is analyzed by employing several estimators and an inclusive estimation strategy for empirical robustness. Our key findings suggest that: First, FD is broadly found to increase production energy intensity except for the negative effects of financial institutions' efficiency. The results also confirm the long-run relationship. The financial depth and financial access appear to reduce consumption energy intensity, while financial efficiency has the opposite effect. Financial institutions have increasing, while financial markets have decreasing impact on consumption energy intensity in the long run. Second, in the face of an oil price shock, countries with higher levels of FD experience a reduce production energy intensity, while the countries with stronger financial institutions experience a reduction in consumption energy intensity, however, opposite is true in the case of financial markets. Third, the FD appears to decrease production energy intensity in HIEs, while it has increasing effect in UMEs and mixed effects in LMEs. Meanwhile, the FD induces higher consumption energy intensity in LMEs, which is same for the impacts of financial markets in UMEs and HIEs. Lastly, financial institutions appear to reduce consumption energy intensity in UMEs and HIEs. Our findings have profound policy implications in the context of the debate on the role of finance in energy efficiency.

The impact of economic and financial activities on air quality: a Chinese city perspective.

This study examines the impact of economic and financial activities on air pollution in China using prefecture-level panel data from 2004 to 2015. Recruiting the air quality index (AQI) as a measure of overall air quality in Chinese cities, we find that industrial production, financial development, and economic integration lead to higher overall air pollution. Nevertheless, efficiency in urban planning through public transportation and population density alleviates this environmental degradation. A closer look into the two main air pollutants in China, sulphur dioxide and dust, further highlights the complexity of the issue. We find that trade openness reduces both sulphur dioxide and dust emissions, whereas financial development reduces sulphur dioxide emissions but increases dust in Chinese cities. Our findings are of particular interest to policymakers when devising environmental policies in support of sustainable economic development.

Domestic tourism spending and economic vulnerability.

This study examines the influence of domestic tourism on economic vulnerability index (EVI). Domestic tourism spending has a significant effect in reducing EVI. These results are consistent with two sub-indices of EVI (shock index and exposure index). Interestingly, it is found that: (i) this impact is consistent in low- and lower-middle-income countries, while domestic tourism has a non-significantly effect in upper-middle and high-income countries of increasing EVI; (ii) these results are consistent in the long-run; and (iii) the impact of domestic tourism is consistent in both the 2002-2007 and 2008-2012 periods, but is statistically non-significant in the 2013-2017 period. Notably, we find that domestic tourism spending has a U-shape effect on EVI; while international tourism has an increasing effect.