The Carbon Footprint of Global Tourism

Photo by LiveKindly

From experiencing different cultures to exploring new sights and sounds to connecting with people from diverse communities: there are a million and one reasons people travel around the globe. However, even the tourism industry cannot escape the murkiness of climate change as evidenced by the growing body of research showcasing just how much globetrotting is impacting the environment. 

The Carbon Footprint of the Travel Industry

According to Nature Climate Change, a peer-review journal, the travel sector accounts for a whopping 8% of global carbon emissions! That is four times more than previously suspected. The industry witnessed a rise in carbon emissions by 15% from 2009 to 2013 and though that percentage might sound small, what it represents is huge when broken down. The US topped the chart of carbon footprint ranking, followed closely by China, Germany, and India. 

Domestic travel, including business tours, being the major culprit in increasing the carbon footprint of these countries. Jet-setting is estimated to cost another 45% boost in carbon emissions by 2025. 

Aviation- A Major Contributor to the Growing Carbon Footprint

Airlines are one of the biggest contributors to the huge carbon footprint of the tourism industry, as the technology used to power planes is intrinsically pollutive. So far despite being a core problem, the aviation companies have paid only lip service to meaningful change that would make its operations more environmentally-safe.

The Swedish concept of flygskam a.k.a “flight shaming” gained quite a lot of traction last year owing to Greta Thunberg's efforts to eschew air travel altogether. As a result of this, the number of people flying between German cities declined 12% in November from a year earlier, showing a drop in passengers for the fourth consecutive month. The airline industry was threatened by this craze of swapping domestic flying for rail travel to such an extent that measures to offset this campaign were discussed at the annual International Air Transport Association. 

This goes to show that the growing stigma against unsustainable traveling is becoming mainstream, as a result of which, companies are taking steps to leverage this new consumer mindset to attract opportunities. Take Easyjet for example, in the midst of the whole "flight shaming", this aviation company announced that it would offset all jet fuel emissions and became the world’s first major airline to achieve net-zero carbon flights across its entire network. Although their plan left a lot to be desired, it is still a step in the right direction. It doesn't just end there, even investors are taking notice of this surge in green tourism. ZuBlu, a sustainable scuba diving tourism startup, received 1 million USD in seed funding.

Maritime Tourism- The CO2 footprint of floating cities

Another major sector of the tourism sphere, the cruising industry, is another vertical that is putting the environment in jeopardy if practices do not adapt. It is approximated that a single cruise ship produces carbon emissions greater than that of 12,000 cars. To make matters worse, each passenger traveling on the cruise produces a carbon footprint three times what they would on land. These data points alone demonstrate how staggering of an impact the maritime travel industry is making on the environment and they do not even take into account the hazardous chemicals released by these floating cities. 

The pressing need for change within the cruising industry is putting pressure on tourism operators to change their way of thinking and operating, although transforming the entire industry will not happen overnight. 

Gen. Z- Bringing forth a generation of change

Gen Z is leading the way with their unparalleled sense of environmental awareness and they aren't afraid to go the extra mile for it. The proof is in the stats, 54% of young travelers say that they're willing to pay more to use a travel service provider that demonstrates environmental responsibility, compared to 48% of Millennials.

With youth travel, being one of the fastest-growing areas in tourism, their potential can simply not be ignored. The Gen Z cohort isn't just on the lookout for the next big journey, they want companies to deliver on their changing values and preferences. They want their need for environmental protection reflected in the approaches used by the travel brands.

Final Thoughts

With the global movement bringing more sustainable and purpose-driven travel options to the center stage, it is quite evident that the travel industry as we know it is over. The world is dangling on the edge of a major climate catastrophe and no industry is immune to this environmental challenge. People no longer are falling for the bogus claims of sustainability from corporations that ring hollow when it comes to truly bringing environmentally constructive change. 

As more and more of the consumer sentiment shifts towards making more environmentally responsible decisions, the world's travel operators are urged to acknowledge this disruption. While there is still a wide gap between intention and action, the important thing to note here is that people are becoming progressively more mindful of their travel implications and corporations, in their pursuit of assuaging environmental criticism, are also following. 

Here’s to hoping that the tourism industry can keep up with consumers’ demands of providing the most sustainable experiences and eco-friendly means of travel in a transformative way.