Environment and travel combine?

According to World Travel and Tourism Council, 8 to 10% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are caused by the food sector. – most of them, through travel. It is worth remembering that the longer the route, the more CO2 is emitted.

According to Global Carbon Budget Report (🇬🇧), humanity has emitted about 36,6 billion tons of CO2 in 2022. In 1950, global CO2 emissions were just 6 billion metric tons, while in 1990 emissions reached 22 billion metric tons.

Does the mode of transport make a difference?

The choice of transport can make a difference in environmental impact, but there are thousands of inaccurate statements, so it is difficult to get the exact data.

“A train journey has a lower environmental impact than a car journey”, states the German Federal Environment Agency.

The truth is that every means of transport needs to be powered in some way, that is: it needs energy, which is normally generated by fossil sources, such as oil and gas. 

Why are they harmful?

When fuel is burned, as is the case in most cars and planes – which run on kerosene – climate-damaging CO2 is released. This enters the atmosphere and heats it. In other words, yes, the transport sector is one of the main contributors to climate changes caused by man.

“Sustainable travel is not a reality" assures Bente Grimm, head of tourism mobility research at the Northern European Tourism Research Institute (NIT) to DW. (*)

“The desire to see the world and the interest in behaving in an environmentally friendly way often conflict, and the desire to travel often prevails,” adds Grimm. 

According to data from the Association for Holiday and Travel Research, in 2021, 5,1 million trips lasting 5 days or more were made in Germany, as well as 44,8 million short trips.

For longer trips, 34% of tourists chose to fly. In Germany, many people already know that flying produces the most CO2 emissions, but this doesn't always translate into a change in the way they travel.

How to be more sustainable?

Given that transport is responsible for a significant part of global CO2 emissions, tourists can rethink their way of traveling and stay longer in one place, instead of taking several shorter trips. 

The transport infrastructure must also be rethought, with alternatives that are less harmful to the environment.

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(🇬🇧): content in English

(*): content in other languages ​​is translated by Google Tradutor