Chapter 11 Australia's tourism carbon footprint

Abstract

This chapter explores the issues in estimating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the tourism industry and related activities in Australia. A production-based approach is employed and its rationale is explained. The scope of tourism consists of the economic activities of tourism-characteristic and tourism-connected sectors as defined in the Australian Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). The GHG emissions have been estimated for 2003–04, the latest year for which detailed industry GHG emissions data are available in a form suitable for this type of estimate. Tourism's GHG emissions are compared with other industries in the Australian economy. The policy implications of the results are discussed. It should be possible to adopt a broadly similar method for any destination with a TSA, enabling tourism stakeholders to play an informed role in assessing appropriate climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for their destination.

Citation

Dwyer, L., Spurr, R., Forsyth, P. and Hoque, S. (2010), "Chapter 11 Australia's tourism carbon footprint", Schott, C. (Ed.) Tourism and the Implications of Climate Change: Issues and Actions (Bridging Tourism Theory and Practice, Vol. 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 187-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2042-1443(2010)0000003014