It’s revealed that the carbon footprint of tourism is more significant than we previously thought. And here I am, ready to throw myself all the way in to write about it and post it on a blog mainly dedicated to TRAVELING. Nothing so far beats those sparkles in your eyes while exploring between walls and buildings in cities you’ve never visited. It’s all harmless fun, after all. Or is it? Oh, how my heart sank reading that, put together, global tourism produces about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers conducted a global survey of 160 countries between 2009 and 2013 to calculate the total CO2 emissions produced by the tourism industry worldwide. By doing so, they scanned over a billion supply chains, aiming to track the goods and services tourists bought. The shocking discovery then showed that the tourism industry’s carbon footprint around the planet grew by 15% from 3.9 to 4.5 gigatons of equivalent carbon dioxide, with transportation, shopping, and food sectors as the three most significant contributors.
And looking at how rapidly the tourism industry is growing, things are more likely to worsen. The increasing wealth creation in many countries where more and more people can now travel for leisure makes tourism a trillion-dollar industry expected to grow by 4% each year, faster than international trade.
Whose responsibility is it, then? I agree with comparing these two perspectives for allocating responsibility for emissions – residence-based accounting and destination-based accounting. The former perspective allocates emissions to the country of residence of tourists, while the latter emphasizes the country of destination. It puts a simple question, “Are tourism-related carbon emissions the responsibility of travelers or tourist destinations?”
If the travelers are the ones who should be held responsible, then we should identify the countries that send the most tourists out into the world and then find ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their travel. On the other hand, destination-based accounting can offer insights into popular tourist spots that would benefit most from specific regulations and technological improvements to reduce the carbon footprint of tourism. Tracking emissions under destination-based accounting over a particular period could help policymakers and researchers answer questions about the success of incentive regulations and schemes.
Responsible tourism seems to be a broad solution to reduce the industry’s massive carbon footprint. Many agree that implementing regulations and incentives together will be an effective way to encourage low-carbon operations. At a personal level, it is also worth looking at the carbon cost of your flights, choosing to offset your emissions where possible, and supporting tourism companies that aim to operate sustainably. Since extra weight on planes burns fuel faster, try to travel light and reduce the weight amount of your luggage. You’ll also want to go direct and stay longer if possible. Last but not least, using other forms of transportation such as train journeys, electric vehicles, cycle tours, buses, or even hiking offers incredible ways to get from A to B at a lower emission cost while also presenting you with an astonishing view of your destination as you travel through it!
← Back to portfolio