G20 Tourism Carbon Footprint and COVID-19 Impact

Akihiko Tsutsumi (), Ryuzo Furukawa, Yusuke Kitamura and Norihiro Itsubo
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Akihiko Tsutsumi: Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-0015, Japan
Ryuzo Furukawa: Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-0015, Japan
Yusuke Kitamura: Institute of Environment and Resources Circulation, Sustainable Energy & Environmental Society Open Innovation Research Organization, Waseda University, Tokyo 162-0041, Japan
Norihiro Itsubo: Department of Resources and Environment Engineering, School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Okubo Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-43

Abstract: The Glasgow Declaration called for scientifically based measurements of CO 2 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.

Keywords: carbon footprint (CFP); Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA); sustainable tourism; COVID-19; G20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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