Researchers from the Universities of Queensland, Griffith, and Sydney in Australia, along with Linnaeus University in Sweden, conducted an in-depth study on the carbon footprint of global tourism.
The study analyzed both international and domestic travel data from 175 countries. According to the report’s authors, “tourism is far from achieving the objective set in the Paris Agreement for the sector, which requires an annual reduction in emissions of more than 10%.”
Between 2009 and 2019, global greenhouse gas emissions from tourism increased by 3.5% each year, in contrast to the average annual increase of 1.5% for all other economic activities. In 2019, tourism accounted for 8.8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
Tourism’s Carbon Footprint Growth
- 2009 3.7 gigatons (Gt) of CO2
- 2019: 5.2 gigatons (Gt) of CO2
Meanwhile, total emissions from all sectors combined increased from 50.9 Gt to 59.1 Gt over the same period.
Main Responsible Sectors
Air transport, the use of private vehicles, and public services associated with travel are the primary sources of emissions in the tourism sector.
By country, the United States, China, and India are the largest emitters in tourism, collectively responsible for three-quarters of the sector’s global carbon footprint.
“The tourism sector’s rapid growth, along with its high reliance on carbon-intensive activities such as flying and private vehicle use, poses a significant challenge for global emissions reduction,” stated Ya-Yen Sun from the University of Queensland.
Proposed measures to reduce the carbon emissions of tourism are crucial. “Without urgent interventions in the global tourism industry, we expect an annual increase in tourism emissions of 3 to 4%. This trend means emissions will double every 20 years,” he added.
The report’s authors recommend several actions to address the impact of long-distance flights. They suggest reducing their commercialization and implementing specific regulatory measures, such as imposing CO2 taxes and requiring alternative fuels instead of fossil fuels.
Regarding the private sector, they advocate for tourism operators to use renewable electricity for accommodations, dining establishments, and recreational activities and use electric vehicles for transportation.
