Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from tourism

1
Mitigating greenhouse gasemissions from tourism

• Susanne Becken, Phil Hart and David Simmons

2
Background

• FRST programme (4 yrs) International tourists
  travel patterns reducing energy use and
  greenhouse gas emissions
• Measure and manage Energy and emisssion
  analyses
• Advisory Group
• Strategies

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Research undertaken

• Industry analyses
• Tourist types
• Travel behaviour and decision-making
• Independent tourists (regional travel)

• Wholesalers in Australia
• Inbound tour operators
• Climate change attitudes and tree planting

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Development of 14 strategies

• Three broad categories
• Tourist types
• Energy efficiency
• Ecuation/Behaviour

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Strategy example what types of tourists?
- - very negative, - negative, o neutral,
positive, very positive
6
Strategy example energy efficiency

• Encourage rental vehicle companies to build an
  energy-efficient fleet.
• Target hotels to increase energy efficiency in
  the accommodation sector.

7
Strategy example tourist education and
participation

• Survey results some recognition of climate
  change, wide-spread confusion .
• Willingness to pay for or plant a tree (feel
  good factor)
• Education campaigns needed

gt Potential to involve tourists careful
planning required, voluntary approach preferred.
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Strategy example carbon offsetting

• Within New Zealand average international tourist
  emits 0.26 t CO2 (does not include activities)
  and requires an area of 0.09 ha to offset this.
• To New Zealand 1.2 t CO2 per average tourist
• For all international tourists total area
  required to offset CO2 emissions within and to
  New Zealand (one way flight) is 1,014,800 ha (4
  of area of NZ).

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CO2 emission costs

• National carbon charge in 2007 equivalent to a
  maximum of NZ25 per tonne CO2
• Based on this charge average international
  tourist would pay NZ 7 for CO2 emissions within
  New Zealand
• If expanded to include the international flight
  CO2 emissions (one way) this would increase to
  NZ37.

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Advisory Group interviews

• 8 Advisory Group members represent
• Government
• Ministry of Tourism
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
• Industry
• Tourism Industry Association New Zealand
• Air New Zealand
• Tourism Holdings Limited
• Real Journeys
• Marketing
• Tourism New Zealand
• Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing

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Positive comments

• Stakeholders are interested in discussing the
  issue, a carbon tax is a major concern
• Importance of sustainable tourism, incl. resource
  efficiency, triple bottom line reporting
• Maintaining a green brand
• Package of voluntary and regulatory approaches
• Potential for bottom-up initiatives by early
  adopters
• Potential for tourists to contributing
  financially to GHG reduction strategies
• The interactive travellers could support some
  strategies
• Partnerships between public and private sector
  agencies have been formed to reduce energy use

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Less encouraging feedback

• Fragmented nature of the sector makes it
  difficult to implement strategies
• Climate change not fully understood
• Public transport not a viable option for tourist
  transport
• Tourists are unlikely to change their travel
  behaviour
• Current touring itineraries are firmly
  established
• High capital costs in implementing energy
  efficiency initiatives

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Less encouraging results (cont)

• Lack of lead agency responsible for addressing
  climate change and tourism
• Increasing competition among airlines leads to
  more air travel (national and international)
• Dominance of economic bottom line inhibits
  investment in climate change mitigation
• Global marketplace makes it hard for individual
  countries and companies to implement GHG
  strategies

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Workshop with key stakeholders

• Objectives
• Survey and discussion of climate change policies
  that are relevant to tourism
• Assessment of the international political
  environment, especially with regards to the Kyoto
  Protocol
• Identification of risks and opportunities, as
  well as policy options for tourism

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Relevant Policies

• Relevant policies or strategies
• Confirmed Climate Change Policy Package
• Small and medium-sized enterprise policy
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy
• New Zealand Transport Strategy
• New Zealand Waste Strategy
• New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2010

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Why climate change policies that are specific to
tourism?

• Energy-intensive industry dependent on fossil
  fuels
• Growing industry and growing mobility
• Large number of small and medium-sized businesses
• Not necessarily targeted by climate change
  policies
• Dependance on the natural environment

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Key points from the workshop

• Understand Kyoto II implications on NZ exports
  (from 2005)
• Understand taxation of pollution
• SME policy Is tourism a priority sector
• Revenue recycling of carbon charge
• Importance of the 100 Pure brand

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From here on

• Increasing collaboration between different
  Government agencies, and industry and Government
  (e.g. TIANZ, EECA and CCO to improve energy
  efficiency)
• Understanding tourists attitudes towards air
  travel and carbon offsetting
• Development of information/educational material
  (both tourists and industry?)
• Follow-up workshop in 2005 to discuss Kyoto II