Tourism Responds to Climate Change
The UN World Tourism Organization is leading a major initiative, dubbed, “Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change.” The year-long campaign, which will kick off on September 27, 2008, World Tourism Day, will encourage travel-related businesses, non-governmental organizations, NGOs, and governmental agencies to take measures to reduce the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions and adapt sustainable businesses practices.
The issue of climate change is particularly critical for the tourism industry. Few business sectors are more dependent on weather and climate, and destinations in California–and worldwide–already feel the affects of global warming–from a shrinking snow pack at California ski resorts to catastrophic wildfire across the state.
Tourism also contributes to climate change, primarily related to transporting and accommodating tourists. With the projected growth in tourism, it becomes increasingly important for businesses to mitigate their impacts on climate and the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, instituting water and energy conservation, and shifting to renewable energy.
The World Tourism Organization, UN WTO, sponsored two international conferences to address climate change, in Djerba, Tunisia in April 2003, and Davos, Switzerland in October 2007.
In the 2007 document, “Tourism and Climate Change: Confronting the Common Challenges,” produced for the Davos meeting, UN WTO writes:
“The immediate impacts of global warming identified by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change include: higher maximum temperatures and more hot days worldwide; more severe tropical storms with higher speed winds; more intense rains; and more severe droughts. These effects have already been observed around the world, demonstrating that climate change is not a remote future event for tourism.
“Two of the most popular types of holidays are already being affected: beach tourism and winter sports. Beach resorts have experienced erosion from intense storms, as well as algae blooms and infestations by jellyfish due to warmer than normal sea temperatures. Ski resorts have had to cope with lack of snow and a shorter season. Additionally, devastating hurricanes, cyclones, floods, and drought – sometimes accompanied by violent wildfires – have all been taking place more frequently over the past few years.”
The Davos Declaration, which was adopted by the UN WTO in 2007, identifies the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on tourism, and provides a framework for the industry to respond to this global challenge. Of particular note to California destinations, the report notes, “Mountain, island, and coastal destinations are considered particularly sensitive to climate-induced environmental change, as are nature-based tourism market segments.”
“Such changes will affect the tourism industry through increased infrastructure damage, additional emergency preparedness requirements, higher operating expenses, and business interruptions. Because environmental conditions are such a critical resource for tourism, a wide-range of climate-induced environmental changes will have profound effects on tourism at the destination and regional level.
“Changes in water availability, biodiversity loss, reduced landscape aesthetic, altered agricultural production (e.g., wine tourism), increased natural hazards, coastal erosion and inundation, damage to infrastructure and the increasing incidence of vector-borne diseases will all impact tourism to varying degrees.”
Efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, while necessary, are likely to affect tourism because these policies “will lead to an increase in transport costs and may foster environmental attitudes that lead tourists to change their travel patterns (e.g., shift transport mode or destination choices).”
The report identifies four major mitigation strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions, all of which are can be implemented by businesses and destinations using current technology: reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency; increasing the use of renewable energy: and sequestering carbon through “sinks.”
“Reducing energy use is the most essential aspect of mitigation, which can be achieved by altering destination development and marketing (tour operators), destination choices (tourists) as well as shifts in transport use from car and aircraft to rail and coach. . . Overall, tour operators have a considerable influence on creating demand for less carbon intensive journeys by creating attractive products that meet tourists’ needs and desires.
“This study found that virtually all sources of renewable energy are relevant for tourism, including wind, photovoltaic, solar thermal, geothermal, biomass and energy regeneration from waste. . . For example, in a vast number of destinations in the tropics, investments in solar energy can pay off in as little as two years.
“Carbon dioxide can also be stored in biomass (e.g. through afforestation and avoided deforestation), in aquifers or oceans, and in geological sinks (e.g. depleted gas fields). Within the tourism industry, this is currently practiced through carbon compensation or carbon offsetting, which means that an amount of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that caused by a certain activity (i.e. a flight), will be reduced elsewhere (i.e., through the planting of additional trees).”
The UN WTO has published a book, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Tourism Sector: Frameworks, Tools and Practices, that provides a roadmap for the industry to respond effectively to climate change. For example, in response to water shortages related to drought conditions in the Caribbean, hotels implemented adaptation strategies aimed at both water supplies of and demand:
- Small-scale infrastructure improvements: rainwater collectors, increasing storage tank capacity, converting toilets to saltwater supply;
- Water conservation, including the application of water-saving devices and guest and employee education, revised landscaping practices and limited use of pools;
- Sustainability planning, based on long-term weather forecasts);
- Water source management, in the case of springs, and monitoring water quality of water; and
- On-site treatment and re-use of waste water for irrigation.
The publication examines the various sectors that comprise the tourism industry to identify mitigation measures. Tour operators can work with airlines with newer, more fuel efficient fleets, and book direct or nonstop flights. Rental car companies can promote the use of hybrids, while retiring their SUVs. California destinations can offer shuttle services, mixed-use areas that are pedestrian-only, biking and hiking “greenways” to get tourists out of their cars. Lodgings and restaurants can focus on energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, passive and active solar for heating and cooling, and buy food and other supplies in bulk from local sources.
New construction offers the greatest opportunity to reduce greenhouse gases. Hotels can be designed to make them energy independent.
“It is now possible to use 100% renewable energy for operations if this is considered prior to the commencement of building. Furthermore, new buildings should be constructed using a high proportion of low-carbon, recycled materials, and high levels of insulation to keep rooms cool or warm.”
The publication highlights the efforts of the North American Ski Industry to mitigate their environmental impact.
“As part of the ‘Keep Winter Cool’ program established by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), ski areas in the United States have undertaken a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives to reduce the GHG emissions related to their operations and serve as a model for other tourism sectors.
“Mitigation Tools, Techniques, Policies or Measures: Aspen Ski Company, Colorado, was the first resort operator to join the Chicago Climate Exchange (in 2001) and thereby legally committing itself to annual accounting of GHG emissions and a 10% emission reduction by 2010 (based on a 1999 baseline year).
“To accomplish this objective ASC has undertaken multiple initiatives, including: building the largest solar photovoltaic array in the ski industry constructing an onsite micro-hydroelectric plant (generating 250,000 kWh annually), converting all of its snow-grooming machines to biodiesel, building two of the earliest buildings certifi ed by the US Green Building Council’s ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’ Program, and most recently began purchasing 100% of its electricity use from wind power generators.”
The book concludes by emphasizing the need for effective policies to encourage sustainable tourism practices; to provide economic incentives to foster investment in clean energy and efficiency; to integrate these practices within the larger public policy framework for businesses and destinations; to monitor and adjust policies based on best practices; and educate the public and the business community on climate change.
For more information:
Tourism and Climate Change: Confronting the Common Challenges (PDF, 192 KB)
Davos Declaration, “Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges;” October 2007 (PDF, 665 KB)
Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (PDF, 2.3 MB)