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What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable tourism is tourism that, “……meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It is about recognising that tourism can have both negative and positive impacts on the environments, economies and communities in the destinations in which it operates, and it is about taking responsibility for reducing those negative impacts and building on the positive ones so that those destinations become permanent beneficiaries of tourism activities.
How are environments, economies and communities impacted by tourism?
Environments can be damaged in many ways such as by unplanned and ugly development (holiday complexes, theme parks, new airports and road systems, etc) or by plundering of natural resources (souvenirs made from coral, hardwoods, ivory).
Environments can be conserved by tourism, too. Sometimes the best way to conserve, say, a piece of rainforest, is to turn it into a tourist attraction, making it in everybody’s interests to keep it as it is for all to enjoy.
Economies can suffer from ’leakages’ whereby the revenue generated is taken out of the country where it was generated by foreign businesses.
Economies can also benefit greatly from tourism by keeping that revenue in the destination country. Buying local products and generating local jobs are all sources of much-needed revenue.
Communities are often alienated by the activities of tourism businesses when land rights are denied, local people are discriminated against, human rights are ignored and local culture and customs are not respected.
Engaging with local communities benefits not only the local people but also the tourism businesses and travellers. Offering equal opportunities to local people and respecting their rights, getting involved in community projects and consulting on local matters all contribute to a mutually beneficial relationship.
What is an environmental footprint?
Everything we do has an impact of some kind. When we turn on a tap or throw away a plastic bag, we are creating an impact on the environment by those actions. The water has to be sourced from somewhere, it has to be delivered to your tap and it has to be taken away once finished with. The plastic bag has, more often than not, been made from non-renewable resources, fossil fuels have been used to manufacture it and transport them to you and when you have finished with it, it must be disposed of, usually in landfill. Even if it is recycled, energy will be needed to do so. Every action has en environmental CV of some kind and our environmental footprint is a measure of those impacts.
What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is a measure of how much carbon dioxide has been produced as a result of the activities of any person, business or product. Many of our day to day activities involve the burning of fuels (turning on a light, driving a car, buying an apple from the other side of the world) and this in turn generates carbon dioxide. How much CO2 is generated in order to sustain these activities is termed a carbon footprint.
Isn’t flying responsible for most CO2?
Aviation has come in for a great deal of bad press recently, so it is worth putting some of those claims into perspective. Consider these figures:
- The UK generates 2% of global man made CO2
- UK domestic & international aviation accounted for 6% of the UK total in 2004
- UK aviation accounts for just 0.1% of global CO2
So where does the bulk of CO2 come from?
According to the Sustainable Aviation Initiative, by 2003;
- 25% of UK CO2 emissions came from households
- Road transport accounted for another 24%
- While industry generated a further 27%
What is an offset scheme?
In recent years a number of companies have emerged offering people and businesses the opportunity to ’offset’ their carbon emissions. The way it works is to calculate the amount of CO2 that has been generated by any given activity and then to compensate for it, or ’offset’ it, by another activity that either reduces the amount of CO2 elsewhere, or absorbs it and locks it into storage, out of harm's way. Renewable energy projects and tree planting are two examples of such offset schemes.
Why is it so controversial?
Critics of these schemes say they allow people to continue to pollute with a clear conscience as they can simply pay to offset their activities. The schemes do little to influence a change in behaviour. Other criticisms have been of the schemes themselves. Tree planting, they say, is only a temporary solution and if the tree is cut down or burned down, the CO2 is released again. There have also been issues concerning inappropriate tree species being planted, mono-cultures and the cultivation practices that go with these, loss of biodiversity, land right infringements and lack of accountability.
So what can I do to reduce my carbon emissions?
You can work to reduce your own carbon emissions and by doing so, save money, too. Here are some energy saving tips from the Energy Saving Trust:
- Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £40 per year.
- Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60°C/140°F.
- Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
- Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Don’t leave appliances on standby and unplug your mobile phone charger when not in use or it will carry on drawing energy.
- If you’re not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
- Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle)
- A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!
- Use energy saving light bulbs. Just one can save you £100 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs.
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