I am concerned about the environmental issues the world is faced with today, and want to research them and report about them. It will help me change my approach to life. In this essay, I seek to assess to what extent could Sustainable tourism reduce carbon footprint on a global, national and personal level.
Some people complain how sustainability is impossible to be achieved without destroying the consumer society we know today. Similarly, others believe that no matter what habits we adopt, we are doomed to extinction sooner or later. However, according to scientists, since the Earth Overshoot Day (20th of August, 2013), sustainable living is no longer just a matter of personal preference; it is the next step in human development. If we concentrate on growing as a society without sabotaging the growth of next generations, our lifestyles will become sustainable. The key to the sustainable lifestyle is the reduction of carbon footprint, i.e. decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere.
Tourism made up 10.4% of global GDP in 2017 and was considered to be one of the biggest economic sectors worldwide. It leaves a big carbon footprint accordingly. An official idea about a more sustainable approach to travelling was born in 2015 when the UN announced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Sustainable tourism answered to all the ideas from the Agenda, deals with social, economic and environmental problems of today. The carbon footprint is an environmental issue. Its most dangerous consequence is climate change, which, in the long run, is followed by a wave of environmental migrations and an increased rate of poverty. Because of this, a reduction of carbon footprint has become a global objective. Countries all over the world began investing in the development of Sustainable tourism because it seems to have the potential to solve this issue to a large extent.
After all, should we hope for the better future to come? Let’s look at different perspectives.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Since it is connecting all the economic sectors and the whole consumer society, the carbon footprint of tourism makes up approximately 8% of the global carbon footprint. The environment is essential for sustainable tourism because astonishing nature is one of the main assets of a tourist attraction, alongside with traditional food and events and a comfortable place to stay. European Federation for Tourism and Environment published a research on its website, which states that spending two days in some of Europe’s most popular cities, including Istanbul, Prague, Milan, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Dublin and Barcelona, could have the same impact on a person’s health as smoking between 1 and 4 cigarettes. Industries connected to tourism are some of the reasons for such pollution. Sustainable Tourism promotes usage of renewable energy in industries as well as in facilities and it advocates the use of green transportation, such as electric cars and bicycles. According to Eurostat, fishing, agriculture, transportation and storage industries are the largest pollutants after the electricity industry. If only these branches of industry were to be affected by sustainable tourism, they would switch to green energy sources and the carbon footprint of tourism would decrease by more than 50%. This would not only benefit the environment, but also the marine and land ecosystems. Lesser emission of carbon dioxide influences the health of all living beings. If the labour commuted to work or the tourists travelled from one place to another by green transport, the carbon footprint would decrease even further. In case the tourists would also recycle the used packages, or simply switch to the ones made of biodegradable materials, and consumed water, food and other necessities responsibly, the production rate of these industries would decrease, making a drastic fall in their emission of carbon dioxide. Sustainable tourism, therefore, is a simple yet effective tool for decreasing the carbon footprint of countries with many tourists and developed industry. People should, however, bear in mind that Sustainable tourism will never be completely sustainable because the industry is always going to have an impact on nature.
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
The carbon footprint of Serbia is immense in comparison to the GDP of the country. Tourism does not make up a great part of it, because it is not still not well developed yet. The individual effort for introducing Sustainable Tourism onto the market exists - an example would be the villages. Most of the population of Serbian villages is distant from the technology of any kind and living out of what they grow; that makes them sustainable. These are extreme cases but their carbon footprint is also extremely small.
What holds the biggest part of the carbon footprint of Serbia is its use of fossil fuels as the main source of energy, reports Index Mundi. If Sustainable Tourism was to be implemented in my country, the touristic residentials could switch to clean energy sources, thus lowering their carbon footprint. According to UNDP, Serbia has the natural potential to largely rely on sustainable energy sources, and doing so would help in slowing down the climate change process.
Speaking of climate change, the temperature in Serbia has become almost unpredictable over the last 5 years, and it asked for endless use of air conditioners and heating. About 60% of Serbs use wood and coil as a primary heating source, which leaves a big carbon footprint on our country and on Earth. Since Serbia’s rate of poverty is high, according to the UN, the country does not invest in proper infrastructure. Sustainable Tourism could help by promoting the existing tourist attractions and by creating new ones and thus raising money for the development of the infrastructure. The abovementioned villages would be a good starting point since they are already sustainable and authentic. The distance from the modern world development gave these villages the opportunity to preserve some of Serbian traditions and culture. Emphasising these assets for the cause of further reduction of carbon footprint could initiate support from the rest of the world. Building proper infrastructure and developing modern technology would deduce Serbia’s carbon footprint to an acceptable degree.
To sum up, Serbia has a very good starting point for developing sustainable tourism and, thus, lower the carbon footprint. What is missing are the funds and trained people. The solution could lie in global funds and organised training, and both need strong support from the government.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
My family is not in the tourism business, but we are travelling to Greece every year. We usually stay for the whole summer. We live moderately eco-friendly lives; we spare water and electricity, we avoid using plastic bags, we recycle, we buy food from small-scale local producers who do not harm the environment and we use public transport more than our car. Since we stick to these rituals in foreign countries, we are moderately-sustainable tourists.
Before we started spending our summers abroad, we were not as responsible towards the environment. In Greece, we learned about recycling, responsible consumption and saving electricity. Our annual carbon footprint before our regular trips to Greece was 10 tonnes, and now it is 9. I find this a huge step forward and believe that Sustainable tourism has helped me and my family be even more responsible for the environment.
I would like to suggest a course of action of implementation of Sustainable tourism into countries that believe they could benefit from it.
The best way of realising Sustainable Tourism is to introduce it to the small communities first. New policies and regulations, such as Tourism Policies in Africa, are best to incorporate when the nation is aware of what Sustainable Tourism is, what their responsibilities are and how they can work together towards lowering their carbon footprint.
An example of a project that followed a detailed course of actions is the portal Tourism for SDGs. It directs civilian attention towards the individual efforts in order for people to get familiar with the techniques that are forming single initiatives into large-scale projects. After enough number of people were introduced to the concept of Sustainable Tourism, it has shifted the centre of attention to governments that are ready to embody specific laws and principles of tourism. These were made available to everyone who is considering becoming or already is a touristic organisation or a tourist via the aforementioned portal.
After implementing a project similar to the above-mentioned, a budget for the development of Sustainable Tourism should be defined by all the countries willing to use Sustainable Tourism as an (ecological) engine for the reduction of carbon footprint. Finally, after years of different transformations, the world will have an idea that would exceed the Sustainable Tourism, since the carbon footprint can never be completely erased.
My research has shown that the extent to which Sustainable Tourism helps in the reduction of the carbon footprint depends upon how it is realised. Currently, on the global level, there are many positive stories and the idea of Sustainable Tourism has is accepted. The initiatives of people who are open-minded and willing to change make Sustainable tourism efficient.
Countries like Serbia create a bad reputation for Sustainable tourism because of complicated financial and social problems inside of the state. Sustainable Tourism demands constant work and contributions, and the reduction of carbon footprint is a long process that requires precise trackings and predictions. Serbia simply does not dispose of cadre capable of carrying out such a project.
Sustainable Tourism has other benefits, besides reducing the carbon footprint. Some of them are mentioned in this report: prevention of environmental migrations, fighting against climate change, preservation of traditions and culture, reduction of the poverty rate, concern about food and water, development of infrastructure and technology, and raising awareness. However, in order for those other benefits to be experienced, Sustainable Tourism has to serve as a tool for the reduction of the carbon footprint.
The more we work on Sustainable Tourism, the more helpful it will be for us. As a world, we should be innovative and continue to bring new ideas for sustaining the tourism, bearing in mind that this Earth is the only Earth we have and that our carbon footprint does only harm to it.
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