A University of Queensland-led research highlights that tourism’s carbon footprint is growing over twice as fast as the global economy’s emissions, urging immediate steps to meet Paris Agreement targets.
A recent study led by the University of Queensland (UQ) divulges a concerning trend: the carbon emissions from tourism are increasing at more than double the rate of the global economy. This rapid growth, driven primarily by heightened travel demand, has propelled tourism-related emissions to account for 9% of the world’s total emissions.
“Without urgent interventions in the global tourism industry, we anticipate annual increases in emissions of 3 to 4% meaning they will double every 20 years,” Ya-Yen Sun, an associate professor at UQ’s Business School, said in a news release.
This alarming trajectory starkly contrasts the requirements of the Paris Agreement, which mandates the tourism sector to reduce emissions by over 10% per year to mitigate climate change.
The collaborative study, which includes researchers from Griffith University, the University of Sydney and Sweden’s Linnaeus University, meticulously tracked both international and domestic travel across 175 countries. It revealed that tourism’s global carbon footprint surged from 3.7 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2009 to 5.2 Gt in 2019. Notably, aviation, utilities and private vehicle use were identified as the primary contributors to these emissions.
The United States, China and India emerged as the top three countries responsible for 60% of the total increase in tourism emissions during the study period, with Australia also ranking in the top 20 nations.
“The biggest carbon challenge in tourism is air travel,” added Sun. “Reducing long-haul flights is one of the recommendations we’ve put forward to help the industry lower its emissions, along with targeted measures such as carbon dioxide taxes, carbon budgets and alternative fuel obligations.”
The study’s findings underscore the need for significant changes within the tourism sector to curb its environmental impact. Options include reducing the marketing of long-haul travel, setting national growth thresholds and encouraging the use of renewable electricity and electric vehicles within local tourism operations.
“In Australia, if businesses select an electricity plan based on renewables rather than coal, they’ll be reducing their emissions,” Sun added, signaling a pathway for individual operators to contribute to broader climate goals.
These critical insights were presented at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan, highlighting the global significance of the challenge and the urgent need for actionable solutions.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, emphasizes the necessity for immediate and comprehensive action to ensure the tourism industry aligns with global climate commitments.