Serajul Hoque

Estimating the carbon footprint of Australian tourism

This paper explores the issues in estimating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the tourism industry and related activity in Australia. The scope of tourism consists of the economic activities defined as “tourism characteristic” and “tourism connected” as defined in the Australian Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). Two approaches are employed and contrasted – a “production approach” and an “expenditure approach”. Depending on the approach, tourism contributes between 3.9% and 5.3% of total industry GHG in Australia. The rationale for each approach is explained. The GHG emissions have been estimated for 2003–2004, the latest year for which detailed industry GHG emissions data are available in a form suitable for this type of analysis. Tourisms GHG emissions are compared with other industries in the Australian economy. The policy implications of the results are discussed. It should be possible to adopt a broadly similar method for any destination with TSA – enabling tourism stakeholders to play an informed role in assessing appropriate and effective climate change mitigation strategies for their destination.

Economic Impacts of a Carbon Tax on the Australian Tourism Industry

The article assesses the potential economic effects on the Australian tourism industry from the introduction of a carbon tax introduced July 1, 2012. The tax is projected to lead to changes in key macroeconomic variables, reducing growth in real GDP, real consumption, and employment. Most tourism industries in Australia will experience a small but significant contraction in output relative to projected baseline values over the period to 2020 in line with a reduction in growth for the economy as a whole. A slightly larger reduction in tourism employment, relative to that of other Australian industries, is projected for the period. The largest falls occur in the Accommodation; Air and water transport; and the Cafes, restaurants and food outlets industries. Since direction of impacts on the tourism industry can be expected to be similar for any pricing scheme to reduce carbon emissions, the analysis has implications for tourism policy globally.

Micro-credit and the reduction of poverty in Bangladesh

Abstract This article explores the relationship between micro-credit and the reduction of poverty by looking at a unique data set about BRAC, one of the largest micro-credit providers in Bangladesh. The article shows that the majority of population in the data set lived below the poverty line and that poverty was slightly more prevalent among households receiving BRAC credit than among similar non-BRAC households. Moreover, regression results suggest that BRACs micro-credit program has had an insignificant impact on household consumption. Overall, the analysis in the article leads to the conclusion that micro-credit had minimal impact on the reduction of poverty.

Chapter 11 Australia's tourism carbon footprint

This chapter explores the issues in estimating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the tourism industry and related activities in Australia. A production-based approach is employed and its rationale is explained. The scope of tourism consists of the economic activities of tourism-characteristic and tourism-connected sectors as defined in the Australian Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). The GHG emissions have been estimated for 2003–04, the latest year for which detailed industry GHG emissions data are available in a form suitable for this type of estimate. Tourisms GHG emissions are compared with other industries in the Australian economy. The policy implications of the results are discussed. It should be possible to adopt a broadly similar method for any destination with a TSA, enabling tourism stakeholders to play an informed role in assessing appropriate climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for their destination.