Climate Change: The Implications for Carbon Accounting and Management in the Tourism Sector Paul Hooper & Rachel Dunk Centre for Aviation, Transport and.

Climate Change: The Implications for Carbon

Accounting and Management in the

Tourism Sector

Paul Hooper & Rachel Dunk

Centre for Aviation, Transport and the Environment

Manchester Metropolitan University

8th International Conference on Responsible

Tourism

MMU 4th April 2014

Outline

• Mandate of action

• Guidance and options for footprinting and accounting procedures

• The ‘tourism system’

• Implications for carbon accounts and emissions mitigation

Tourism & Climate Change

Tourism

Creates

Impacts

Affect

Tourism Growth

UNWTO (2011)

Erxleben and Sallwey (2007)

Global Tourism and Climate Change

• Tourism (including day-trips) is responsible for 4.95% of global CO2 emissions – Up to 14% if measured as radiative forcing (The

warming caused by CO2 and other GHGs).• If tourism was a country it would be the

5th biggest polluter worldwide (similar to Japan).

• Global tourism emissions projected to grow by 152% by 2035.

Sources: Peeters and Dubois (2010); UNWTO-UNEP-WMO (2008)

Air transport

40%

Car32%

Other transport

3%

Accommoda-tion21%

Other activities4%

Breakdown of tourism emissions

Radiative forcing

Air transport

72%

Car15%

Other transport

2%

Accom-modation

9%

Other activities2%

Implications for Tourism

• Growing CC emissions from tourism in the context of policy commitments to radical cuts in GHG emissions

• Need to take efficient and effective actions

• Important to demonstrate carbon responsibility

• Case for growth is getting more difficult – credibility crucial

Carbon account……

Activity data to carbon account

Determining carbon emissions requires data on:

– The activity generating the carbon emissions (quantity, type, organisation)

– The carbon output per unit activity. This is usually expressed as an emissions/conversion factor

Units of activity x EF = total CO2 generated

So what should be included in a carbon account?

Scope Options – GHG Protocol

• Define three scopes (or boundaries) for GHG/carbon emissions accounting

1. Direct GHG emissions from all sources owned by the company (stationary and mobile combustion)

2. Plus indirect GHG emissions from purchase of electricity

3. Optional step – indirect emissions from company’s upstream and downstream activities (provides an ‘opportunity to be innovative in GHG management’)

How far is far enough?

• Carbon Reduction Commitment – mandates reporting for larger

organisations (>6000MWh)– Focuses on fuels and electricity consumed

(i.e. Scope 1 & 2 emissions)• However DEFRA Guidance:

– Sets no minimum size threshold– Covers wider range of emissions– Does not specify a minimum level of

reporting (emphasises completeness)

So what should be done about Scope 3 Emissions

• Challenging given the variety of organisations in the tourism sector

• Best to start with an appreciation of the ‘tourism system’ for completeness

• ICARB identified a range of system carbon emission sources from:– Inputs– Outputs– Outsourcing

Scope 3 Emissions for Tourism

• Inputs– Food & drink– Cleaning materials– Visitor travel– Water supply

• Outputs– Water

discharge/treatment– Solid waste:

• Green waste• Recyclates• Landfill

• Outsourcing– Laundry– Accounting– Maintenance/

grounds keeping– Cleaners– Catering– Entertainment

But this is too difficult, isn’t it?

So why take on Level 3?

• ACI International (2009) have something to offer:

Guidance Manual: Airport Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management

References• ACI (International) (2009) Guidance Manual: Airport GHG Emissions

Management, ACI World Environment Standing Committee• DEFRA (2013) Environmental Reporting Guidelines: including mandatory

GHG emissions reporting guidance. • DEFRA GHG Conversion Factor Repository available at

www.ukconversionfactorscarbonsmart.co.uk/• Erxleben, T. and Sallwey, L. (2007) The impact of current developments

on the baggage flow at airports and derived trends in airport logistics. Elektroniczne czasopismo naukowe z dziedziny logistyki, 3 (1), No. 5.

• Peeters, P. And Dubois, G. (2010) Tourism travel under climate change mitigation constraints. Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (3),447-457.

• UNWTO (2011) Tourism Highlights 2009 Edition. http://unwto.org• UNWTO-UNEP-WMO (2008) Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to

Global Challenges. UNWTO, Madrid.• WBCSD and WRI (2004) The Greenhouse Gas Protocol.