Carbon Footprint Evaluation Based on Tourist Consumption toward Sustainable Tourism in Japan

Yusuke Kitamura, Yuki Ichisugi, Selim Karkour and Norihiro Itsubo
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Yusuke Kitamura: Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-8551, Japan
Yuki Ichisugi: Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-8551, Japan
Selim Karkour: Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-8551, Japan
Norihiro Itsubo: Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-8551, Japan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-23

Abstract: The importance of the contribution of tourism to climate change has been noted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). By combining a process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) and input–output analysis, several researchers have attempted to evaluate the impacts of the tourism industry, as well as its products and services. Indeed, the tourism sector has a wide range of industries, including travel and tours, transportation, accommodation, food and beverage, amusement, souvenirs, etc. However, the existing cases do not show a breakdown of the impact on climate change. In this paper, the carbon footprint (CFP) of the Japanese tourism industry was calculated based on tourist consumption, using the Japanese input–output table and the Japanese tourism industry. We demonstrate that the total emissions were approximately 136 million t-CO2 per year. The contribution ratio of each stage is as follows: Transport 56.3%, Souvenirs 23.2%, Petrol (direct emissions) 16.9%, Accommodation 9.8%, Food and Beverage 7.5%, and Activities 3.0%. Then, in the breakdown, the impacts are in the following order: Air transport 24.7%, Petrol (direct emissions) 16.9%, Accommodation 9.8%, Food and Beverage 7.5%, Petrol 6.1%, Textile products 5.3%, Food items 4.9%, Confectionery 4.8%, Rail transport 3.9%, Cosmetics 1.9%, and Footwear 1.8%. In addition to transportation, this research also highlights the contribution from souvenirs, accommodation, and food and beverages.

Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Carbon Footprint (CFP); tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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