Tourism is on course to thwart humanity’s efforts to reach a zero carbon economy because of its high growth rates and carbon intensity. To get out of its carbon predicament, the tourism sector needs professionals with carbon literacy and carbon capability. Providing future professionals in the full spectrum of tourism-related study programmes with the necessary knowledge and skills is essential. This article reports on ten years of experience at a BSc tourism programme with a carbon footprint exercise in which students calculate the carbon footprint of their latest holiday, compare their results with others and reflect on options to reduce emissions. Before they start, the students are provided with a handout with emission factors, a brief introduction and a sample calculation. The carbon footprints usually differ by a factor of 20 to 30 between the highest and lowest. Distance, transport mode and length of stay are almost automatically identified as the main causes, and as the main keys for drastically reducing emissions. The link to the students’ own experience makes the exercise effective, the group comparison makes it fun. As the exercise requires no prior knowledge and is suitable for almost any group size, it can be integrated into almost any tourism-related study programme.
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
This chapter discusses tourism’s impacts on global environmental change. Tourism affects four key Earth-system processes under threat: biodiversity loss, freshwater availability, land-use change, and climate change. On a global scale, tourism impacts on climate change are most significant. However, on a local or regional scale, tourism can be a considerable driver of change in the other processes, sometimes to an extent of global proportions. The various components of tourism act differently in these processes. Tourism mobility as a whole is generally the most problematic. The causes of tourism impacts are explored per system process and mitigation priorities are addressed. Mitigation of impacts is essential, also for the sustainable development of tourism. Strategy development needs an integrated approach, as measures to solve one issue can be counterproductive for other processes and goals.
LINK
Het ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat (IenW), directie Duurzame Mobiliteit, heeft aan Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) verzocht om een onderzoek uit te voeren naar de CO2 voetafdruk – de zgn. carbon footprint - van de recreatieve mobiliteit in Nederland in 2023. Dit op basis van het nieuwe Nederlands Vrije-tijdsonderzoek (NVTO), wat een completer beeld over recreatieve bestemmingen moet geven dan eerder onderzoek op basis van de ‘Onderweg in Nederland’ (OdiN) dataset (Martensen et al., 2023). Het onderzoek moet de directie Duurzame Mobiliteit van IenW helpen bij de verduurzaming van recreatieve mobiliteit, als onderdeel van het behalen van klimaatdoelstellingen. Het uiteindelijk doel is om in beeld te brengen wat de carbon footprint van aan recreatie gerelateerde mobiliteit in Nederland is.De hoofdvraag luidt:“Hoe ziet de CO2-uitstoot van recreatieve reizen door de inwoners van Nederland eruit, voor verschillende recreatieve bestemmingen en reizigers(doel)groepen?”Societal IssueHet reduceren van CO2 uitstoot door personenmobiliteit is een van de werkzaamheden van de directie Duurzame Mobiliteit van IenW om aan de klimaatdoelstellingen te werken. Recreatieve mobiliteit – verplaatsingen van en naar een recreatieve bestemming door bezoekers van die recreatieve bestemming – is hier een onderdeel van. Een eerste stap in het krijgen van meer inzicht in de uitstoot van recreatieve mobiliteit vormde het rapport ‘CO2 uitstoot bij recreatieve verplaatsingen’ door het KiM (Martensen et al., 2023), op basis van de dataset ‘Onderweg in Nederland’ (OdiN). IenW wil op basis van de dataset van het NVTO extra inzicht verkrijgen in recreatief reizigersgedrag en bijbehorende uitstoot, om hiermee beleid beter te kunnen ontwikkelen en af te stemmen. IenW wil inzicht op welke manier Nederlanders, en verschillende groepen daarbinnen, naar recreatieve bestemmingen reizen en hoeveel CO2-uitstoot hiermee gepaard gaat. Benefit to societyCarbon footprint rapportages bieden bedrijven, organisaties en overheden de mogelijkheid om de consequenties van klimaatbeleid in te kunnen schatten, strategische beslissingen te nemen, en bijvoorbeeld producten en communicatie aan te passen.
Client: Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Funder: RAAK (Regional Attention and Action for Knowledge circulation) The RAAK scheme is managed by the Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Early 2013 the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport started work on the RAAK-MKB project ‘Carbon management for tour operators’ (CARMATOP). Besides NHTV, eleven Dutch SME tour operators, ANVR, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Climate Neutral Group and ECEAT initially joined this 2-year project. The consortium was later extended with IT-partner iBuildings and five more tour operators. The project goal of CARMATOP was to develop and test new knowledge about the measurement of tour package carbon footprints and translate this into a simple application which allows tour operators to integrate carbon management into their daily operations. By doing this Dutch tour operators are international frontrunners.Why address the carbon footprint of tour packages?Global tourism contribution to man-made CO2 emissions is around 5%, and all scenarios point towards rapid growth of tourism emissions, whereas a reverse development is required in order to prevent climate change exceeding ‘acceptable’ boundaries. Tour packages have a high long-haul and aviation content, and the increase of this type of travel is a major factor in tourism emission growth. Dutch tour operators recognise their responsibility, and feel the need to engage in carbon management.What is Carbon management?Carbon management is the strategic management of emissions in one’s business. This is becoming more important for businesses, also in tourism, because of several economical, societal and political developments. For tour operators some of the most important factors asking for action are increasing energy costs, international aviation policy, pressure from society to become greener, increasing demand for green trips, and the wish to obtain a green image and become a frontrunner among consumers and colleagues in doing so.NetworkProject management was in the hands of the Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport (CSTT) of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. CSTT has 10 years’ experience in measuring tourism emissions and developing strategies to mitigate emissions, and enjoys an international reputation in this field. The ICT Associate Professorship of HZ University of Applied Sciences has longstanding expertise in linking varying databases of different organisations. Its key role in CARMATOP was to create the semantic wiki for the carbon calculator, which links touroperator input with all necessary databases on carbon emissions. Web developer ibuildings created the Graphical User Interface; the front end of the semantic wiki. ANVR, the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour operators, represents 180 tour operators and 1500 retail agencies in the Netherlands, and requires all its members to meet a minimum of sustainable practices through a number of criteria. ANVR’s role was in dissemination, networking and ensuring CARMATOP products will last. Climate Neutral Group’s experience with sustainable entrepreneurship and knowledge about carbon footprint (mitigation), and ECEAT’s broad sustainable tourism network, provided further essential inputs for CARMATOP. Finally, most of the eleven tour operators are sustainable tourism frontrunners in the Netherlands, and are the driving forces behind this project.
Since March 2013, Paul Peeters is a member of the ICAO/CAEP Working Group 3, which is responsible for setting a new fuel efficiency standard for of civil aviation. He does so for the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA). ICSA was established in 1998 by a group of national and international environmental NGOs as official observers. Since its inception, ICSA has contributed to CAEP’s work on technical means to reduce emissions and noise, the role of market-based measures, supporting economic and environmental analysis, modelling and forecasting, and ICAO’s carbon calculator. It has also been invited to present its views at ICAO workshops on carbon markets and bio-fuels, and has presented to the high-level Group on Internation Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC). ICSA uses the expertise within its NGO membership to formulate its co-ordinated positions. To gain the broadest level of understanding and input from environmental NGOs, ICSA communicates with, and invites comment from, other NGO networks and bodies working in related areas. ICSA’s participation in ICAO and CAEP meetings is currently provided by the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF), the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT) and Transport and Environment (T&E). See http://www.icsa-aviation.org
