Carbon Emissions in Recreation Fishing Travelling. Case of Latvia

Abstract

The tourism industry holds high importance for the economy of Latvia; therefore, it is important to comply with the low-emission mobility strategy. The aim of this research is to investigate the CO2 emissions caused by a trip to Latvia’s Western coast at the Baltic Sea for recreational fishing in order to create information basis for intensifying the development of the specific tourism industry on a Baltic Sea states scope. In this research a hybrid (top-down and bottom up) and regression method was used for determination of CO2 emissions and interlinked relations. Research results: Altogether travelling forth and back to fishing destinations totalled 22 546 km, emitting 5.796 tCO2 emissions; vehicle occupation rates for vehicles vary – for car – 28.9 %, for motorhome – 50 %, for vans – 25 %. Renewal of car fleet to more fuel-economy vehicles would help comply with the CO2 95 g/km goal, would reduce the emissions by 684.49 kg, 847 kg and by 570.84 kg accordingly. The emission reduction per passenger with 60 % seat occupancy depend on the car CO2 emission ratio – 155 g/km, 147 g/km or 131 g/km, and would correspond to the cumulative effect of CO2 6.77 kg, 5.01 kg and 5.40 kg. Annual journey to fishing destinations per passenger, with 95 g/km emissions and 60 % vehicle occupancy rate with given registered CO2 emissions at 155 g/km, 147 g/km or 131 g/km: would produce CO2 297.7 kg, 322.7 kg and 280.2 kg accordingly. Use of seat-sharing of newer cars would allow for a reduction of emissions, specifically within Latvia’s Western coast of Baltic Sea recreation fishing area, where due to the scarce population, public transport is less available.

Does Car Sharing Contribute to Urban Sustainability from User-Motivation Perspectives?

“…As the literature review underlines, car sharing should first of all be considered as a potential opportunity for a more sustainable means of mobility and an opportunity to reduce CO 2 emissions, since a reduction in the number of car units allows more efficient utilization [25,[47][48][49]. Dong et al [50] believe that the development of car sharing not only satisfies people's diverse travel demands but also brings forward a new solution to facilitate urban sustainability.…”

“…Regardless of the positive aspects of car-sharing and huge interest on the part of the environmentally aware population, it is still a niche. In Latvia, the phenomenon is less studied, and only some the authors are covering the topic to a limited extent [25][26][27][28]. Car sharing and environmentally friendly mobility in Latvia are relatively new concepts [26], and it is something that drivers use relatively rarely.…”

The Steller's Sea‐Eagle in North America: An economic assessment of birdwatchers travelling to see a vagrant raptor

“…Within this case study few individuals booked airfare to see the eagle, whereas almost 95% of individuals reported taking a personal vehicle, many of whom carpooled with friends and family. Previous research evaluating carbon emissions from nature‐based recreation has several recommendations for reducing emissions, including increasing vehicle occupancy, using newer cars with higher fuel efficiency, and using public transportation when available (Grizane & Blumberga, 2020). As the excitement around vagrant events grows, the carbon‐cost associated with travelling to see the species may eventually offset the ecosystem services generated from the event, and future research should evaluate benefit–cost ratios of economic activity to carbon emissions in the pursuit to see vagrant bird species.…”

“…Practical implementation of this approach might entail local birdwatching organizations supporting 'rare bird ambassadors' who coordinate with birdwatchers and local communities to identify fundraising goals and mechanisms for collecting donations (Ontario Field Ornithologists, 2022). While employing this approach allowed for direct result comparison, it may have in- recommendations for reducing emissions, including increasing vehicle occupancy, using newer cars with higher fuel efficiency, and using public transportation when available (Grizane & Blumberga, 2020). As the excitement around vagrant events grows, the carbon-cost associated with travelling to see the species Most research on ecosystem services focus on static snapshots of ecosystem service supply and demand (Rau et al, 2018(Rau et al, , 2020Renard et al, 2015); a recent literature review noted that only 2% of studies engaging with the ecosystem services concept considered temporal changes in ecosystem services (Rau et al, 2020).…”