Tourism, a driving force for global economic development, manifests itself as a phenomenon with a double face, capable of generating growth opportunities and, at the same time, inflicting serious damage on the environment. This article explores the impact of tourism on the environment.
Tourism represents a development opportunity not only for already established Western economies, but also for poorer and developing countries. Countries that are still unspoiled, places that have not experienced the nefarious aspects of human development represent a coveted destination for tourists seeking places of escape and refreshment. It is clear that the indiscriminate influx of people, who are accustomed to very high standards of living and therefore require a high consumption of resources, can result in serious damage to the environment.
From the more or less intense crowding of a given tourist location there certainly follows an impact of tourism on the local environment, that is, an environmental (and social) “pressure” on the place. More vehicles, higher CO2 emissions, more people, increased waste generation, the need for construction of additional accommodations, water consumption and groundwater pollution are just some of the issues that places face at the expense of environmental care and respect.
Too often we have had reports of beaches full of garbage, spikes in electricity consumption in hotels, endless lines of cars, and natural locations that from pristine as they were have undergone a rapid process of degradation.
The numbers of the impact of an average tourist
To better understand the extent of the problem, it is enough to consider some data on the pollution and consumption that an “average” tourist brings with him or her by going on vacation.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that about 14 percent of all global solid waste is generated each year solely by the tourism industry. Western tourists are accustomed to maintaining their home country lifestyles-in fact, they expect to do so-even in the destinations to which they travel, producing an average of between 1 and 2 kilograms of waste each day: a much higher average than that of indigenous peoples, who are often outnumbered by tourists by ratios as high as 10 to 1.
A tourist on vacation consumes 3-4 times more water than they would consume at home, and the same goes for electricity. It is therefore obvious to think how in particularly hot and arid regions the consumption of tourist water can create a serious problem for local people.
Other data from the European Environment Agency states that as early as 2000, 7 percent of the total pollution of the Mediterranean Sea’s waters was caused by tourism (just think of the amount of cruise ships plying the seas). A study, published in 2019 in the Journal Nature Climate Change, estimated that tourism would be responsible for 8 percent of the global economy’s carbon dioxide emissions, a figure three times higher than expected. In fact, along with air travel, the study authors also included in the emissions calculation the energy used in supporting tourism infrastructure, including beverages, food and services.
The tourism sector is also responsible for 5 percent of all emissions and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Let’s not overlook the waste problem: the said cruise ship in a year produces 50 tons of solid waste and hundreds of thousands of liters of wastewater from sanitation facilities and kitchens.
What we can do for the environment
“I CARE” – We want to share with you the commitment so that our passage leaves only a slight trace. Choosing tools to mitigate climate impacts, reducing transportation emissions, avoiding the use of plastics to encourage circular use of resources; curbing land use by tourism and encouraging attention to valuable but fragile historic/natural sites.