This study combines the exploration of how circular economy principles can drive green growth while specifically focusing on their implications for the tourism sector in leading circular economies. Our main objective is to examine the possible implications of a circular economy on production-based carbon emission in promoting green growth and sustainable tourism. To align our objectives, this research examined data spanning 1991 to 2023 from advanced circular economies, applying relevant estimation techniques to ensure robust and reliable results. The findings unveil a significant negative relationship between circular economy practices and production-based carbon emissions, and tourism across the panel and in individual countries over the long term, except Spain. Adopting circular economy concepts often reduces production-based carbon emissions in almost all of the countries evaluated. Research and development, natural resources rent, and human development contribute to decreasing the environmental impact of production processes in the long-run. Findings also highlight a unidirectional causal effect from the circular economy, research and development, natural resources rent, information communication technology, and human development to tourism and carbon emissions. This research reveals the potential effects of circular economy on production-based carbon emission and tourism within six advanced circular economies. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the challenges faced in achieving sustainable development and serve as a call to action for practitioners and policymakers to devise effective strategies. The study policy implications are provided in the conclusion section.
Mamirkulova et al. (Wed,) studied this question.