G20 Tourism Carbon Footprint and COVID-19 Impact

Abstract

The Glasgow Declaration called for scientifically based measurements of CO2 emissions in the tourism industry to monitor progress toward the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement. Despite the economic and employment downturn caused by COVID-19, there are limited cases of environmental assessments related to tourism. In this study, we estimated the CFP of the tourism industry in the G20 countries before and after COVID-19. By combining the MRIO and Tourism Satellite Accounts, we clarified the different impacts on the markets for domestic tourism and inbound tourism, aiming to provide a quantitative basis for setting scientifically grounded goals towards the transition to sustainable tourism. The GHG emissions from tourism mainly stem from transportation, but souvenirs, accommodations, and food and beverages also result in significant differences among countries. The pandemic has greatly impacted the tourism industry. In 2020, the GHG emissions from both domestic and inbound tourism significantly decreased due to the decrease in the number of tourists. In some countries, measures against COVID-19 influenced these figures, and although signs of recovery were observed in 2021, the degree of reduction varied by country. These emission reductions should be the goals pursued by the tourism industry in the post-COVID-19 era, and efforts should be made to achieve sustainable tourism.

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“…The above has revealed that, in recent years there has been a notable increase in the number of studies analysing the impact of the pandemic and its consequences on society and the environment [28][29][30][31][32]. Key topics have been the lockdown's effect on the environment, changes in product demand, plastic usage, and the subsequent increase in waste.…”