The carbon footprint of tourism increased from 3.9 to 4.5 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO₂-e) between 2009 and 2013, four times more than previously estimated, accounting for about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a study published Monday revealed.
The findings of the world-first study were published in the monthly Nature Climate Change journal.
In the study, researchers from Australia’s University of Sydney and University of Queensland along with National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan assessed the entire supply chain of tourism including transportation, accommodation, food and beverages, souvenirs, clothing, cosmetics and other goods.
The authors said that, altogether, global tourism produced about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, higher than the UN World Tourism Organization’s previous estimate of about 5 percent.
'Our results show that tourism-related emissions increased by around 15 percent over that period, from 3.9 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO₂-e) to 4.5 Gt. This rise primarily came from tourist spending on transport, shopping and food,” they said.
The majority of this footprint is seen in high-income countries, according to the results of the study, which quantified tourism-related global carbon flows between 160 countries, and their carbon footprints under origin and destination accounting perspectives between 2009 and 2013.
-US top contributor
The study found that the U.S. was responsible for the majority of tourism-related emissions followed by China, Germany and India.
On a per-capita basis, however, small island destinations were found to have the highest footprints, with Maldives topping the list; 95 percent of the island’s tourism-related emissions came from international visitors.
The authors said that small islands’ income depended on tourists, who were found to be responsible for 30-80 percent of the national emissions of island economies.
“Small island states typically do not have the capacity to embrace technology improvements due to their small economies of scale and isolated locations,” they added.
-Carbon footprint estimated to go up to 6.5 Gt
The authors said tourism was a trillion-dollar industry, with a significant contribution to global gross domestic product, and was forecast to grow at an annual 4 percent, thus outpacing many other economic sectors including international trade.
“The rapid increase in tourism demand is effectively outstripping the decarbonization of tourism-related technology. We project that, due to its high carbon intensity and continuing growth, tourism will constitute a growing part of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions,” they said.
The authors estimate carbon emissions from global tourism would increase to about 6.5 Gt by 2025, largely driven by rising incomes, while making tourism 'highly income-elastic and carbon-intensive'.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr