The tourism industry is closely linked to climate change as it involves the movement of people from their homes to other destinations and the accommodation and servicing of these people in host locations prior to their returning home. Many aspects of this business cycle have a heavy carbon footprint and, because more time and money is being dedicated to leisure, the tourism industry is playing a larger role in global greenhouse gas emissions.

CO2 emissions generated directly from the tourism sector account today for 5 per cent of global CO2 emissions but this may be higher (up to 14 per cent) if measured as radiative forcing, i.e. the warming caused by CO2 as well as other greenhouse gases. To understand the magnitude of these numbers it should be noted that if we compare tourism with the emissions of countries, tourism would be the 5th bigger polluter worldwide.

In fact, the amount of emissions produced by tourism, an activity that engages each person no more than 4-5 weeks each year, is bigger than the emissions produced by billions of people living and working for one year in big industrialized countries or new emerging economies.

Hotel Lapa Ríos - Carbonera Beach, Costa rica

There is tremendous variation in emissions across tourism segments and within individual trips. Trips by coach and rail account for 34 per cent of all trips, but for only 13 per cent of all CO2 emissions (excluding emissions from accommodation and activities). Conversely, long-haul travel accounts for only 2.7 per cent of all tourist trips, but contributes 17 per cent to global tourist emissions. As for other trips, emissions can be close to zero (for instance a holiday by bicycle and tent) or amount to more than 10 tonnes of CO2 (e.g. to the South Pole).

By 2035, tourism’s contribution to climate change may have grown considerably. Recent projections indicate that in terms of the number of trips made, global tourism will grow by 179 per cent, while guest nights will grow by 156 per cent. Passenger kilometres travelled will rise by 222 per cent, while CO2 emissions will increase by about 152 per cent! In less than thirty years and if no action is taken today, CO2 emissions generated by tourism will be more than three times higher than today.

Solutions

Use of biodegradable products for guests - Costa Rica Tourism-related emissions are growing rapidly. Climate change mitigation initiatives have to mediate between often conflicting objectives such as the need to reduce long-haul emissions while not adversely impacting tourism’s role in sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

Mitigation in the tourism sector can be achieved by reducing energy use, for instance through changing travel behaviour, by improving energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy, carbon offsetting strategies, as well as changes in business practices. In addition market mechanisms, incentives, taxes and voluntary initiatives are needed for an integrated approach.

While technological innovation has considerable potential to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, this will, given the high growth rates in global tourism, not be sufficient to achieve absolute reductions in energy use and emissions. Behavioural change (tourists) as well as structural change (tourism industry) is therefore of great importance in reversing the trend of growing greenhouse gas emissions in tourism.

However, it seems clear that for those who embrace mitigation and become pro-active in addressing climate change, there will be new business opportunities. Current societal trends have already created new markets for low-carbon tourism products, and these markets can be expected to grow in the future.

Doing sustainable tourism business in the era of climate change is not just politically correct it is a competitive advantage.