Sustainable Tourism

There is no denying that tourism is a climate-dependent industry, and many destinations owe their popularity to their pleasant climates. Furthermore, clear evidence exists that climate change is impacting the tourism industry and that, simultaneously, the industry and tourists are contributing to climate change through fossil fuel consumption and consumptive behaviors. In an attempt to escape from the worry and stress of everyday life, tourists (on average) indulge in greater levels of consumerism. Research has revealed that tourists consume greater amounts of energy, water and materials while on vacation than they do at home.

If one takes into account the fact that about 1 billion people travelled internationally in 2009 and that this number is expected to rise to 1.6 billion by 2010, the severity and urgency of the problem becomes evident. Tourism is one of the world’s fasted growing industries (generating over 10.4% of global GDP) and so the issue of sustainability needs to be not only addressed, but resolved.

On a positive note, there is some evidence that shows the tourism industry is becoming more environmentally conscious. Consumers are beginning to comprehend the environmental implications of their own consumptive behaviors. The emergence of tourism-specific organizations such as Tourism Concern suggests a growing consumer awareness of the environmental consequences of tourism activity. With this new found knowledge, tourists are becoming more selective in their choice of destinations.

Meanwhile, a recent European Tourism Research Institute paper highlighted the business opportunity for operations that employ renewable energy and encourage reuse and recycling. And consequently, tourism operators are providing ecologically friendly alternatives for their clients. By incorporating more environmental and social sustainability principles into their business operations, these tourism operators are creating opportunities for product differentiation, enhanced brand image and stronger community stakeholder support that reduce business transaction costs.

Being green can translate into a tourist operator’s bottom line in several ways. When energy-saving measures are introduced, such as energy management systems, fluorescent bulbs, ceiling fans, motion sensors for public rest rooms and exercise rooms, energy bills are reduced. Also, when water-saving equipment and techniques are introduced, such as low-flow showerheads, 1.6 gpm dishwashing valves, and low-flow toilets, water bills are reduced dramatically. These measures can also have tremendous environmental implications as the average Canadian household uses 326 liters of water per day while a luxury hotel room guest uses 1800 liters of water per person per night! Lastly, waste hauling is a large expense for hotel operators which can be lowered drastically through recycling and avoiding wastefully-packaged products. The New Orleans Intercontinental started a recycling program and hired staff to separate their disposed materials. The hotel management was shocked to discover that employees were extracting $1,000 a month of hotel property (i.e. towels, spoons) out of the waste stream which had been discarded prior to the implementation of the program. In conclusion, such corporate sustainability actions eventually translate into a better competitive position that will bring guests back time and time again as well as a stronger ‘triple bottom line’.

Psssstt...Canada Sets 17% Carbon Emission Reduction Target From 2005 Levels

In case you haven’t heard, the Canadian federal government officially informed the United Nations on January 30th that it has set a 17% reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 levels in the next 10 years. It is Ottawa's commitment to the Copenhagen deal on climate change.

Countries that attended the climate change conference in December were supposed to outline their own emission-reduction targets before the UN's final deadline of Jan. 31. The Copenhagen Accord, which isn't legally binding, offers money to developing nations to help them fight global warming, but it doesn't set new greenhouse gas reduction targets. Instead, countries are to set their own targets, without mandatory limits.

Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice pointed out that Canada’s target is similar to those set by the United States, which Ottawa had indicated it would follow during the Copenhagen conference. The United States, on January 28 officially stated a goal to cut carbon emissions by 17 per cent by 2020 off 2005 levels and said it “anticipated” that Congress would approve legislation to meet the target.

Canada and the US are unique in setting their targets against 2005 levels, as most nations, for instance, have set their reductions to be measured by the common UN standard of 1990 levels - the European Union has agreed to 20% carbon reductions from 1990 levels by 2020. US & Canada are in favour of a 2005 baseline as their carbon emissions have ballooned steadily since 1990. In fact, the US target is only 3.4% below 1990 levels. In Canada, the target actually increases emissions, not decreases them as the new target is 2.5 percent higher than the 3 percent cut over 1990 levels announced by Ottawa in 2006.

There hasn’t been much buzz about the target announcement, partly because it’s rather uninspiring and lacking in detail. Some say the low-key target is needed to harmonize regulations with the US to protect Canadian industries that are subject to competitive trade with US firms, while others say it seeks to protect the oil and gas industry in Alberta – where the oilsands contain the second-largest petroleum reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia with an estimated 174 billion barrels.

Despite the timid target, there is a greater recognition from industry and government of the climate change risk from environmentalists and ‘regular’ consumers who call oilsands’ crude “dirty oil" because of the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced when it's refined. In fact, environment Minister Jim Prentice recently told a Calgary business audience that while the Harper government supports continued expansion of the oilsands, large energy companies need to do more as Canada seeks to reach its targets under the Copenhagen climate change accord. He also acknowledged that “Canada risks becoming the international poster child of unsound resource development if it doesn't do a better job of developing the oilsands”.

Timid target or not, industry and government get the picture - a lower carbon economy is real and here to stay.