Achieving voluntary reductions in the carbon footprint of tourism and climate change

McKercher, Bob; Prideaux, Bruce; Cheung, Catherine; Law, Rob

doi:10.1080/09669580903395022

Cited by 234 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Cohen and Higham found only a small number of participants were beginning to re-evaluate air travel in light of its contribution to climate change. This is reinforced by several earlier studies (see, for example, Hares et al, 2010;McKercher, Prideaux, Cheung & Law, 2010).…”

Section: Climate Change and Tourismsupporting

confidence: 65%

Travel, tourism, climate change, and behavioral change: travelers’ perspectives from a developing country, Nigeria

Dillimono

Dickinson²

2014

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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(2015) Travel, tourism, climate change, and behavioral change: travelers' perspectives from a developing country, Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(3), 437-454.Travel, tourism, climate change and behavioral change: travelers' perspectives from a developing country, Nigeria Abstract While studies have examined people's understanding of climate change and its relationship to tourism, these focus largely on developed country populations. Much future tourism growth will come from developing countries following economic development, often countries where climate change will be strongly felt. Do tourists from developing countries have the same knowledge gaps about travel, tourism and climate change as in the developed world? Will behavioral change policies be successful in encouraging more environmentally friendly approaches to climate change and tourism in developing countries? This paper presents findings from 20 in-depth interviews with active Nigerian tourists, analyzing their understanding of climate change, the links known, or not, between their travel and climate change, and their willingness to change their tourism patterns. Understanding of climate change was limited and there was conceptual confusion. Participants did not view their own travel as a cause of climate change and many were embedded in air travel practice. Participants were unwilling to change their tourism patterns to reduce their contribution to climate change. Significant structural barriers limit low carbon tourism travel in Nigeria (and other developing countries), including reliability, availability, safety and speed. Behavioral change will be difficult to achieve.

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Section: Climate Change and Tourismsupporting

confidence: 65%

Travel, tourism, climate change, and behavioral change: travelers’ perspectives from a developing country, Nigeria

Dillimono

Dickinson²

2014

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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“…However, it is not clear whether marketing their business as "climate friendly" and attempting to attract environmentally concerned tourists to their businesses will pay further dividends. Although the public believes that climate change is a serious problem, prior research has found that these concerns do not influence their travel behavior or demand for ecofriendly holiday destinations (Becken, 2007;Bergin-Seers & Mair, 2009;Eijgelaar et al, 2010;Gössling & Schumacher, 2010;McKercher et al, 2010;Tiller & Schott, 2013). However, the recent research by Cohen and Higham (2011) suggests an increasing number of travelers with a "carbon conscience" may demand these actions by operators in the future.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…National, state, and territory government tourism agencies in Australia have also responded by providing information on climate change and carbon mitigation for tourism operators, with Tourism Queensland being one of the more proactive agencies (Zeppel & Beaumont, 2012b). Industry organizations have produced reports on climate change and tourism and provided assistance for their members on carbon mitigation strategies (Queensland Tourism Industry Council [QTIC], 2008;Tourism and Transport Forum [TTF], 2008, 2011).Research has found that the traveling public is aware of the issue of climate change but does not necessarily link it to tourism or their travel behavior (Becken, 2004(Becken, , 2007Eijgelaar, Thaper, & Peeters, 2010;Gössling & Schumacher, 2010;McKercher, Prideaux, Cheung, & Law, 2010;Tiller & Schott, 2013). Recent studies of tourism operators suggest that, while some do not perceive a connection between their operations and climate change (Byrnes & Warnken, 2006;Hall, 2006;Su, Hall, & Ozanne, 2013), others are becoming aware of the link and the need for action on emissions reduction (Gössling & Schumacher, 2010;Zeppel, 2012a).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism: Carbon Mitigation by Environmentally Certified Tourism Enterprises

Zeppel¹,

Beaumont²

2014

Tourism Review International

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travel-related activities that contribute to climate change. In response, government departments and tourism agencies have supported carbon mitigation strategies based on ecoefficiency actions to reduce GHG emissions and operational costs for the travel CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: CARBON MITIGATION BY ENVIRONMENTALLY CERTIFIED TOURISM ENTERPRISESHEATHER ZEPPEL AND NARELLE BEAUMONT Australian Centre for Sustainable Business and Development, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, AustraliaTourism is susceptible to the impacts of climate change on destinations and businesses, but also contributes to the causes of climate change via greenhouse gas emissions from travel. This article reports on carbon mitigation actions by environmentally certified tourism enterprises in Queensland, Australia. The survey results profile attitudes to climate change, emissions auditing, carbon mitigation actions, and motives for emissions reduction. The study revealed that most operators believed climate change was an important issue for tourism and had implemented a range of carbon mitigation actions in energy, water, and waste reduction. The most popular actions were energy efficiency and reducing energy use, while less popular measures were adopting renewable energy and carbon offsetting. Tourism operators preferred lower cost actions that were easy to implement and would provide cost savings. The key motives for tourism operators implementing these carbon actions related to ecological responsibility and business competitiveness via cost savings and differentiating their business as "climate friendly." These motivations align with general business principles driving the implementation of socially and environmentally responsible practices by companies. The findings suggest that environmentally certified tourism enterprises now consider emissions reduction measures to be an integral part of sustainable tourism development.Key words: Climate change; Carbon mitigation; Environmental certification; Ecoefficiency actions; Sustainable tourism IntroductionThe tourism industry is susceptible to the physical and socioeconomic impacts of climate change on destinations and businesses. Tourism also generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport and 162 ZEPPEL AND BEAUMONT could be adopted (WTO & UNEP, 2008 (WTTC, 2009). However, as noted by Scott (2011), these are "aspirational" targets that, without specific plans for achieving them, may be interpreted largely as rhetoric.In Australia, the national government responded to this issue by establishing a National Tourism and Climate Change Taskforce, producing a national action plan for tourism and climate change, a climate change guide for tourism operators supplemented by industry workshops, and a tourism strategy that included climate change issues (Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism [DRET], 2008[DRET], , 2009[DRET], , 2011. National, state, and territory government tourism agencies in Australia have also responded by providing information on climate ch...

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“…There is widespread evidence, at least within the more economically developed countries, that majorities have become both aware of and at times concerned about climate change. However, majorities concurrently reveal an unwillingness to substantively change their travel and other behaviour in ways that could help to address those concerns, irrespective of the most recent media-fuelled controversies (Anable, Lane, & Kelay, 2006;McKercher, Prideaux, Cheung, & Law 2010). This pattern, like the poll results elicited in the wake of the IPCC ARC4 controversy, reflects the normative status in Western societies of what Weaver (2007) describes as superficial or veneer environmentalism.…”

Section: Issue 4: Fickle Marketsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Can sustainable tourism survive climate change?

Weaver

2011

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

221

121

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This opinion piece contends that tourism's expanding engagement with climate change, as it is currently unfolding, is not necessarily conducive to the interests of tourism sustainability. Inherent unpredictability, long-term timeframes, lack of directly tangible consequences or clearly identifiable villains, issues with credibility and vested interests and cost implications in an era of chronic economic uncertainty all combine to increase the likelihood of unsuccessful climate change policies and strategies. Additional complications arise within the tourism sector from the rudimentary state of knowledge about the relationships between the tourism and climate change, an apathetic and fickle travelling public and a reciprocally uncommitted tourism industry. I argue that adaptation is a rational business response to climate change that is not directly related to environmental and sociocultural sustainability, and that mitigation measures should be supported to the extent that they yield practical and tangible short-and medium-term benefits and address local sustainability issues such as air quality and biodiversity protection.

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Achieving voluntary reductions in the carbon footprint of tourism and climate change

Cited by 234 publications

References 27 publications

Travel, tourism, climate change, and behavioral change: travelers’ perspectives from a developing country, Nigeria

Travel, tourism, climate change, and behavioral change: travelers’ perspectives from a developing country, Nigeria

Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism: Carbon Mitigation by Environmentally Certified Tourism Enterprises

Can sustainable tourism survive climate change?

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