Accessing the role of tourism, renewable energy, and green finance in shaping the sustainable future

Worldwide efforts to achieve ecological sustainability include addressing the impact of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Additionally, the issue of lowering CO₂ emissions in developed and industrialised nations, such as China, remains unsolved. Therefore, this study assesses the impacts of tourism, renewable energy, climate disasters, and financial development on carbon emissions in China for the period 1990-2022 by using Fourier Cointegration analysis under both triangular hypotheses using the ARDL approach and bivariate causality tests with a frequency domain structure. The study found that tourism seems to increase climate change by driving energy use, whereas renewable energy counters it. Climate-related disasters perpetuate climate change, while financial growth supports and hinders it, based on where it is geared. However, the work does show that sustainable tourism practices, coupled with even higher levels of renewables investments and green finance efforts to help meet climate change commitments in China, are crucial. The avenues for further research and limitations are also discussed.