Scientists: Tourism impacting climate change

| 07/05/2018 | 52 Comments

(CNS): Scientific researchers have found the the world-wide tourism sector is having a much greater impact on climate change than previously thought and, given the growth in global travel, things are set to get worse. Published Monday in the journal Nature, the results of the research found that it is not just air travel that is causing the problem; travellers’ use of other transport, their shopping, accommodation and the food they eat are all significant contributors to the tourism carbon footprint. 

The researchers quantified tourism-related global carbon flows between 160 countries and found that between 2009 and 2013, tourism’s global carbon footprint had increased four times more than previously estimated, accounting for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“The majority of this footprint is exerted by and in high-income countries. The rapid increase in tourism demand is effectively outstripping the decarbonization of tourism-related technology. We project that, due to its high carbon intensity and continuing growth, tourism will constitute a growing part of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions,” the researchers stated in the article.

Speaking to the BBC and other media about the report, Dr Arunima Malik from the University of Sydney, the lead author of the study, said the researchers had looked at really detailed information about tourism expenditure, including consumables such as food from eating out and souvenirs. “We looked at the trade between different countries and also at greenhouse gas emissions data to come up with a comprehensive figure for the global carbon footprint for tourism.”

Tourism is a booming global industry worth over $7 trillion, employing one in ten workers around the world and growing at around 4% a year. In the report the scientists said, “The sensitivity and vulnerability odestinations such as winter- and coastal-recreation locations to weather and climate change suggest that, as a result of climatchange, the tourism industry will in turn undergo drastic futurchange and will need to adapt to increasing risk.”

The authors warned that, with travellers seeking more exotic experiences coupled with an increasing reliance on aviation and luxury amenities, affluence has turned tourism into a carbon-intensive consumption category.
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Category: Business, Science & Nature, Tourism, Weather

Comments (52)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The sky has already fallen. There is nothing man can do now but watch. We don’t have the brains or the will to live in harmony with the natural world. Accept it, move north, watch it burn. We’ve had a good run.

  2. Anonymous says:

    The #1 leading gas in the Armageddon earth destroying greenhouse effect (between 36-70%) is….. water vapor…

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas

    Better ban water or start taxing all countries that produce steam.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So when 4,400 tourist get on a cruise ship they eat more, spend more and consume more and more. But if they were back home they would not be driving in a car, or eating in restaurants, or buying consumables. These are the kind of studies that Environmentalist use justify their large corporate tax free donations, before taking their salaries and continuing to play video games through the night after buying Chinese Take Out.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You know nothing

    • Anonymous says:

      The inane deflection of the troglodyte.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Unpopular opinion, but have the feminists figured out how marching for rights they already have, is going to matter when Western women are destroying the earth due to their consumption needs. 83% of consumer spending (including these fun vacations), are driven by women. Marketers agree that Male consumption needs, are driven by the desire for sex, i.e. Happy Wife, Happy Life. Condoms are cheap. Pleasing a woman to be able to use those condoms is not.

    Perhaps we should be evaluating our consumption patterns to determine a best way forward.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You should keep some thoughts to yourself. Or at least stand behind it fully and post your name so we know who to avoid chatting with.

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    • Anonymous says:

      ahhahha… I guess women don’t like this comment… all good voting for leftist policies until you realize that you’re the cause of most of the problems hahahah !

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    • Anonymous says:

      at 11:41 – which part of this comment are you not agreeable with?

      – women influencing 83% of consumer spending?
      – men being driven by their need for sex?
      – condoms are cheap?
      – consumerism is the primary force behind the destruction of nature/earth?

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  4. Anon. says:

    More “The sky is falling” rubbish – this type of report will be used by politicians as justification for increasing already-high taxes on airplane travel. The only predictions that have come true are the ones that were made 30 & more years ago that hurricanes would cause greater and greater damage and loss of life in the southern USA. The reason being the enormous increase in the population of those states by people retiring and moving to the warmer areas of the USA, not by any change in the frequency and severity of hurricanes. Cayman is a prime example of this – consider the amount of damage done by Ivan compared to the ‘32 and ‘44 hurricanes – if a building isn’t there it can’t be damaged!

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  5. Anonymous says:

    *scientists * claim gender/biological sex is a social construct : https://medium.com/@ES_4P/biological-sex-as-a-social-construct-b2583c222737

    Very likely the same bunch of scientists

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    • Anonymous says:

      That is a beautiful straw man you have just given us. Please tell me you’re not raising kids.

  6. Anonymous says:

    I am interested in purchasing WATERFRONT property for 1/100th of the price due to the eminent melting of the polar caps that will put Cayman 20 feet under water by 2015.. oh wait I mean 2025. For those interested to sell, please reply below with your contact details. Serious inquiries only please.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Or we could talk about how chemtrails are seriously messing with our environment and ecosystem.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Cns quoted nature, a highly respected peer reviewed journal. Chem trails is a YouTube conspiracy theory.

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      • Al Einstein says:

        Please be kind enough to tell us why You Tube gives a hoot….. or what their conspiracy is, Mr. 6:49.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Nope, chemtrails are very real. Pity you can look down at your keyboard but not up at the sky.

        Seriously, people are literally ignoring this. It’s happening globally, but we don’t care?

        How ignorant are we, really?

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    • Anonymous says:

      No such thing as “chemtrails” quit listening to Alex Jones.

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    • Anonymous says:

      They don’t exist you nutter.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Time for virtual reality vacays.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Tourism…plus my regular consumption of baked beans.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    You will laugh now, but sooner than you think, you will be required to get a chip implant. This act will align you with the New World Order.
    Those who take the chip will pledge their allegiance to the One World Government and those who don’t will be hunted down as haters.
    With the chip, you will be able to digitally pay your Carbon Tax using cryptocurrency. Without it, you will be a terrorist.
    Carbon, 6 protons, 6 neutrons and 6 electrons.
    This scenario has already been foretold. Blind leading the blind.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    So we all need to stay home and be dirt poor.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Soon people will realize that the so called “scientists” of today are merely propaganda spreaders. All it takes is “scientists say” and the public are fooled -_-

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    • Diogenes says:

      So the people with actual data and evidence are the “propoganda spreaders” but we take religions with no evidence at their word as the full truth?
      How does that make any sense?

      You can get equipment and measure this data yourself, literally. You can aggregate public data yourself for the next 20 years if you so choose. You can replicate experiments yourself, their is nothing wrong with healthy skepticism but a complete and total denial is a bridge too far.
      We can look at Venus to see the result of exactly what we are doing
      You actually think that thousands of scientists around the world are all taking part in some grand conspiracy forgetting the fact that even leveling an accusation of a ruse this large shows the actual lack of thought you have put into this (a conspiracy can only be so large before someone becomes disillusioned or antagonistic and blows the lid off the whole thing)

      Is is you alone who discovered that all the worlds scientists are lying or did someone tell you that they are, (if so where is their evidence, and by your own reasoning perhaps it is the persons who have convinced you to ignore the consensus in favour of their conclusion

      Not to mention the fact that fossil fuel companies themselves acknowledge the results of their efforts across the board

      It scares me how many people on Cayman and around the world are truly and un-apologetically opposed to something as basic as climate science and the predicted results of our actions

      Diogenes

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      • Anonymous says:

        Don’t try to help people like that. It’s not worth the time it took for you to type that all out.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, you sir (I can safely assume) are a complete moron.

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    • Slacker says:

      The only science textbook we need is the Bible. So much easier to understand than the real science {which is hard}, and the Bible always confirms what you believe.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Let’s get this right from the get go.
    These are scientists and not God?
    When they elevate themselves from everlasting to everlasting, then my ears will perk up.

    I believe in the Living God, the Father of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and eternal Husband to the Holy Spirit, the greatest Mother ever.

    Children, why is this so difficult?

    Yes, you religious types that destroy God’s children will rise up in your ignorance. Pass the plate around again for a few dollars more.

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    • Truth says:

      God has asked humanity to be the stewards, think caretakers, of this world. That does not give humanity the right to abuse this world and poison it into nothingness. Greed is what is controlling all of this, whether or not people want to admit it.

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