Climate justice and tourism

© EED Tourism Watch

Disaster prevention, climate change and tourism

as a follow-up of the Tsunami 2004 in SoutheastAsia

accompanying lobby and advocacy activities on ECOTs

„Disaster prevention, protection and managementprogramme

on behalf of German Church Development Service (EED)

- TOURISM WATCH -

and their partner theECUMENICAL COALITION ON TOURISM

Climate change and tourism

•Tourism is not just a potential victim of climate change. Italso contributes to its causes.

Climate impact of tourism• UNWTO: 5% of global emissions caused by tourism, calculating that

aviation causes 3% of global emissions

• Scientific evidence points towards more serious impacts. Aviationcauses up to 14 % of global emissions (Lee et al, 2009)

• On long-haul trips: 97% emissions are caused only by the flight

• Air travel has massive growth rates: By 2050 air travel is expected to contribute 25% of global emissions if business as usual

• Massive expansion of airports and low-cost carrier

UNWTO Forecast: Tourism 2020 Vision

Global Tourism Emissions in 2005: CO2

Sub-Sectors CO2 (Mt)

Air transport * 522 40%

Car transport 418 32%

Other transport 39 3%

Accommodation 274 21%

Activities 52 4%

TOTAL 1,307Total World

(IPCC 2007) 26,400

Tourism Contribution 4.95%

Transportationof Tourists = 75%of Sector Emissions

* - does not include non-CO2 emissions and impact on climate

Source: UNWTO-UNEP-WMO 2008

‘Business as Usual’ Projection ofFuture CO2 Emissions from Tourism

* Excluding same-day visitors

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

2005 2035

Mt C

O2

Air TransportCar TransportOther TransportAccommodationActivities40%

32%

21%

52%

16%

25%

4% 7%

Source: UNWTO-UNEP-WMO 2008

Developing countries do not have the possibilities and funds to adaptto climate changeWe are drifting into a world of 'adaptation apartheid'.(Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa.)

Climate Justice in Numbers:• Oxfam estimates: Developing countries need 50 billion US-Dollars p/a

only for adaptation if emissions are not reduced• NGO Treaty Group: To help developing countries adapt to climate

change, the 'treaty' calls for new and additional finance of themagnitude of at least $160 billion p/a (between 2013-2017)• Copenhagen Accord: kick off with $US10 billion p/a (2010-2012) 2012

-2020 climbing up to $US100 billion

The impact of climate changeon developing countries

• 98% of the world populationdoes not fly• Most flights are taken for holiday

reasons

• Our concerns:– the sector becomes

increasingly more energyintense.

– Tourism might increaseconflicts in developingcountries re land use, waterconsumption etc (smallislands, arid areas)

The injustice of climate change and tourism

Actions taken by the industry

„Much will eventually come from the private sector with its appetite forinnovation“ UNWTO

• Mitigation → no change in travel behaviour, growing flight numbers• Adaptation → tourism adapts to new climate• Inventing new technologies → new technology will not reduce carbon

emissions• Carbon offsetting in tourism → on a voluntary market, air passengers

pay the equivalent money to compensate the emissions caused by a flight by donating into renewable energy projects (less than 1 % of all air travellers)

Conclusion:Industry did not show much appetite up to now on voluntary basis

Tackling emissions on policy level

•Global emissions are addressed by the UNFCCC•Emissions from global tourism are not addressed, but only

from aviation and shipping (so called bunker fuels, account for approx. 10% of global emissions)•While the largest carbon emissions are legaly regulated in

the Kyoto Protocol, the bunker emissions do not underlielegal regulations•Under the Kyoto Protocol, responsibility for bunker

emissions handed to ICAO and IMO, Article 2.2.•Miserable failure of IMO and ICAO

Tourism and the UNFCCC

•Tourism within the UNFCCC process• Appears when negotiating the bunkers (emission from

aviation and shipping) • ´Spill-over effects` – binding climate policies have not

to derogate tourism as a development motor for poorcountries (argument by UNWTO and tourismdepending countries)

→ undifferentiated debate about theprofit of poor countries from international tourism→ reason for tourism critical groups to get involved into the UNFCCC process

Myths spill-over effects

•If growth rate of British air travel till 2025 wouldstagnate on 2009 level, it would mean eg forKenya a lost of 0,09% of GNP p/a.

(Plane truths - Do the economic arguments for aviation growth really fly? (2008) World Development Movements)

UNWTO within UNFCCC

• Official position: Tourism will be at the leading edge of the global response to climate change, coherent with the Millennium Development Goals.• UNWTO is taking questionable role within UNFCCC

• UNWTOs main argument and focus is to avoid „spill over effects“• Critical debate is missing: →Tourism - a development motor for poor countries?

• New concerns about UNWTOs climate policies and requests:“Some Clean Development Mechanism and Emissions Trading projects and trading revenues to be earmarked for specified allotment to related aviation and tourism projects, including financial and other incentives for the earliest possible global introduction of sustainable aviation biofuels”

If tourism uses agrofuelson high commerciallevel, new problems will occur re land use, watershortage, food security

About sustainable aviation biofuels

Tourism critical groups involved• 09/2008, World

Tourism Day, Lima workshop„changing theatmosphere in tourism“

• 04/2009 –Mailinggroup: "climate change, tourism and development" <tourismclimate@listen.jpberlin.de>

Copenhagen process• 07/2009, Berlin, meeting

with a working groupfrom the North

• 10/2009, South Consultative Meeting byEcumenical Coalition On Tourism during theUNFCCC Climate Talks, Bangkok

• 12/2009, Side event„Climate justice and tourism“ duringUNFCCC, COP 15, Copenhagen

Tourism critical groups involved

NGOs demand..

• Continue the process with tourism critical groups and voices• Enhance the debate around climate protection in tourism

beyond CO2-reduction measures• No increasing growth rates, but fair distribution of revenues• Reducing flow of foreign exchange, diversified economies etc.• Binding regulations for emissions from aviation and shipping• Avoid that tourism is used as an excuse against climate

protection measures!• Beyond binding regulations, promote climate protection

measures as part of holistic CSR strategies

Conclusion: → Tourism is debated on a very low level→ It is essential to bring tourism critical groups into

the UNFCCC process

• Climate Action Network is a worldwide network of roughly 500 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working to promote governmentand individual action• Third World Network (not part of CAN)- is an independent non-profit

international network of organisations and individuals involved in issuesrelating to development, Third World and North-South affairs. • GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice is a global network of women

and gender activists and experts from all world regions working forgender and climate justice• The Climate Alliance of European Cities with the Indigenous Rainforest

Peoples / Alianza del Clima e. V. is Europe's largest city network• Climate Justice Now - A network of organisations and movements from

across the globe committed to the fight for social, ecological and genderjustice (part of CAN)• Climate Justice Action - is a new global network of people and groups

committed to take the urgent actions needed to avoid catastrophicclimate change (open network, not CAN).

Other groups and networks

Thank you!