Beyond Greening - Tourism Watch
Beyond Greening - Tourism Watch
Beyond Greening - Tourism Watch
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<strong>Beyond</strong> <strong>Greening</strong>: Reflections on <strong>Tourism</strong> in the Rio-Process | Positioningpaperhand from reduced income associated with decreased tourism arrivals. The UNWTO argues –in line with industry lobbies – that climate regulations must not put a disproportionateburden on the tourism sector and must not impair its ability to grow.<strong>Tourism</strong> NGOs have described these concerns as "highly simplistic" and have called for aserious and differentiated debate on tourism and poverty alleviation in the UNFCCCnegotiations. The travel and tourism industry has to date protected its business interests in thename of poverty alleviation. However, it is urgent to highlight the complex social, cultural,economic and environmental impacts of tourism in destinations, particularly as these affectworkers and communities, and to draw attention to the irresponsible stance of the tourismindustry in the UNFCCC process. The debate on the role of tourism in achieving a "greeneconomy" must go beyond the statements repeated ad nauseam, presenting only the positiveeconomic spin-offs of tourism growth. It is time seriously to debate the consequences of therapid growth of the tourism sector and its impacts on the climate, biodiversity and naturalresources and human well-being and development.NGOs have endorsed a position paper on the occasion of the 17th Conference of the Parties(COP17) in Durban, in which they outlined the myths around tourism and climate changefrom a human rights based perspective and sustainability approach. The position paper wasendorsed by over 30 groups from the global South and North 30 .<strong>Tourism</strong> will certainly be one of the victims of climate change when tourism destinations suchas the Maldives and Pacific islands are affected by rising sea levels, and snow cappedmountains lose their snow due to global warming and become unattractive to tourists. But thetourism sector is also one of the "culprits". It accounts for an estimated five percent ofanthropogenic CO 2 emissions, but its overall contribution to climate change, if measured asradiative forcing of all greenhouse gases, is in the order of 5.2-12.5 percent (Scott et al., 2009).Aviation accounts for 40 percent of tourism’s CO 2 emissions, road transport for 32 percentand accommodation for 21 percent. The remaining seven percent arise from activities bytourists (four percent) and other forms of transport (three percent), including cruise ships. Itis forecast that carbon emissions from tourism will grow by 162 percent during the period2005-2035 (UNWTO, 2008).However, under the UNFCCC, only emissions from aviation are negotiated, together withemissions from shipping (the so called bunker fuels or bunkers). In a recent study, authorsworking with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conclude thatconsidering the best available estimates for non-CO 2 effects, global aviation contributed 4.9percent, in the worst scenario even up to 14 percent to man-made climate change in 2005 (Leeet al., 2009). These climate impacts from air travel are caused by a relatively small fraction ofaround two percent of the world population that actively takes part in air travel. So far thenegotiations on bunker fuels have been conducted in a half-hearted way. After so many years,the bunkers are still not subject to any binding emission reduction targets. Bunker fuels arenot bound by the Kyoto Protocol. In 1997, the responsibility to reduce aviation and shippingemissions was handed over to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) andInternational Maritime Organization (IMO). Both organizations were commissioned todevelop a suitable climate protection mechanism for the sector. Both have failed miserably.After 15 years, the ICAO and IMO are yet to come up with significant, internationally bindingtargets.30<strong>Tourism</strong> <strong>Watch</strong> (2011): Last call to Durban. <strong>Beyond</strong> Numbers: A call for social, economic and climate justice in tourism48