Inspired by data from Sustainable Travel International, we have put together key facts on how traveling creates emissions. Many more points can be added, but these are some facts we want you to consider for future trips.
Transport is accountable for almost half (49%) of tourism’s carbon footprint. This includes flights, helicopters, boats, taxi rides, etc. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gasses that are generated by actions.
Infrastructure generates emissions. When infrastructure and facilities are built to support tourism services, this construction creates emissions. When areas including forests, mangroves, or other ecosystems are cleared and destroyed for construction, it additionally releases vast amounts of emissions.
Accommodations generate high emissions since they rely heavily on lighting, cooling, and heating and use vast amounts of water for cleaning, guest showers, etc. Accommodations often also rely on supply chains to be able to serve food, etc.—all factors contributing to the generation of emissions. As we can’t underline enough, this is why choosing to stay in accommodations with eco-certificates that reduce the use of resources makes an actual difference when you travel.
Meals. Tourist meals create emissions in general, but especially when they are highly meat-based or have been imported. When food is wasted, the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it is also wasted. Food waste further increases emissions when it goes to the landfill and rots, producing methane.
Waste. Tourists produce waste and often rely heavily on single-use plastic products made from fossil fuels (primarily oil and gas). Extracting and transporting fuels to produce plastic creates enormous amounts of greenhouse gas. The single-use plastic items are most often not recycled or reused.
Hi! I am Alberte. I believe that traveling provides some of the best and most meaningful life experiences and is necessary for mutual understanding and knowledge across cultures. I hope to see much more responsible and sustainable ways of traveling in the future!
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.