Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions
Abstract Tourism has a critical role to play in global carbon emissions pathway. This study estimates the global tourism carbon footprint and identifies the key drivers using environmentally extended input-output modelling. The results indicate that global tourism emissions grew 3.5% p.a. between 20...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54582-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850094767156756480 |
|---|---|
| author | Ya-Yen Sun Futu Faturay Manfred Lenzen Stefan Gössling James Higham |
| author_facet | Ya-Yen Sun Futu Faturay Manfred Lenzen Stefan Gössling James Higham |
| author_sort | Ya-Yen Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Tourism has a critical role to play in global carbon emissions pathway. This study estimates the global tourism carbon footprint and identifies the key drivers using environmentally extended input-output modelling. The results indicate that global tourism emissions grew 3.5% p.a. between 2009-2019, double that of the worldwide economy, reaching 5.2 Gt CO2-e or 8.8% of total global GHG emissions in 2019. The primary drivers of emissions growth are slow technology efficiency gains (0.3% p.a.) combined with sustained high growth in tourism demand (3.8% p.a. in constant 2009 prices). Tourism emissions are associated with alarming distributional inequalities. Under both destination- and resident-based accounting, the twenty highest-emitting countries contribute three-quarters of the global footprint. The disparity in per-capita tourism emissions between high- and low-income nations now exceeds two orders of magnitude. National tourism decarbonisation strategies will require demand volume thresholds to be defined to align global tourism with the Paris Agreement. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9256bbb40edc4a1ab1da0a96bbd76a73 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-9256bbb40edc4a1ab1da0a96bbd76a732025-08-20T02:41:34ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-12-0115111010.1038/s41467-024-54582-7Drivers of global tourism carbon emissionsYa-Yen Sun0Futu Faturay1Manfred Lenzen2Stefan Gössling3James Higham4The University of QueenslandThe University of QueenslandISA, School of Physics A28, The University of SydneyWestern Norway Research InstituteGriffith University, 170 Kessels RoadAbstract Tourism has a critical role to play in global carbon emissions pathway. This study estimates the global tourism carbon footprint and identifies the key drivers using environmentally extended input-output modelling. The results indicate that global tourism emissions grew 3.5% p.a. between 2009-2019, double that of the worldwide economy, reaching 5.2 Gt CO2-e or 8.8% of total global GHG emissions in 2019. The primary drivers of emissions growth are slow technology efficiency gains (0.3% p.a.) combined with sustained high growth in tourism demand (3.8% p.a. in constant 2009 prices). Tourism emissions are associated with alarming distributional inequalities. Under both destination- and resident-based accounting, the twenty highest-emitting countries contribute three-quarters of the global footprint. The disparity in per-capita tourism emissions between high- and low-income nations now exceeds two orders of magnitude. National tourism decarbonisation strategies will require demand volume thresholds to be defined to align global tourism with the Paris Agreement.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54582-7 |
| spellingShingle | Ya-Yen Sun Futu Faturay Manfred Lenzen Stefan Gössling James Higham Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions Nature Communications |
| title | Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions |
| title_full | Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions |
| title_fullStr | Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions |
| title_short | Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions |
| title_sort | drivers of global tourism carbon emissions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54582-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yayensun driversofglobaltourismcarbonemissions AT futufaturay driversofglobaltourismcarbonemissions AT manfredlenzen driversofglobaltourismcarbonemissions AT stefangossling driversofglobaltourismcarbonemissions AT jameshigham driversofglobaltourismcarbonemissions |