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Destination net-zero : what does the international energy agency roadmap mean for tourism?

Scott, Daniel and Gössling, Stefan LU (2022) In Journal of Sustainable Tourism 30(1). p.14-31
Abstract

The tourism sector has recommitted itself to be ‘climate neutral’ by 2050 through its 2021 Glasgow Declaration: A Commitment to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action. The declared ambition is consistent with the Paris Climate Agreement and net-zero emission targets; however, lacks specific actions by which such a transition might be achieved. The highly influential International Energy Agency (IEA) has produced the most detailed global roadmap to a 2050 net-zero future. This paper examines its implications for the tourism sector. Getting to net-zero is imperative to ensure the societal disruption of a + 3 °C or warmer world are avoided, but the IEA net-zero scenario would nonetheless be as transformative for tourism as the internet was.... (More)

The tourism sector has recommitted itself to be ‘climate neutral’ by 2050 through its 2021 Glasgow Declaration: A Commitment to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action. The declared ambition is consistent with the Paris Climate Agreement and net-zero emission targets; however, lacks specific actions by which such a transition might be achieved. The highly influential International Energy Agency (IEA) has produced the most detailed global roadmap to a 2050 net-zero future. This paper examines its implications for the tourism sector. Getting to net-zero is imperative to ensure the societal disruption of a + 3 °C or warmer world are avoided, but the IEA net-zero scenario would nonetheless be as transformative for tourism as the internet was. International air travel and tourism growth projections from the tourism sector are not compatible with the IEA net-zero scenario. The geography of transition risk will influence tourism patterns unevenly. The incoherence of tourism and climate policy represents an increasing vulnerability for tourism development. While any business and destination in tourism can act immediately to reduce emissions, the findings compel a critical new research agenda to determine how the assumptions of the IEA, or any net-zero scenario, could be achieved and how this will affect tourism development.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Carbon transition risk, decarbonization, International Energy Agency, net-zero, Paris Climate Agreement, sustainable tourism
in
Journal of Sustainable Tourism
volume
30
issue
1
pages
14 - 31
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85112257985
ISSN
0966-9582
DOI
10.1080/09669582.2021.1962890
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
970a15d4-67c1-4689-ac92-0c5c608c0af9
date added to LUP
2021-09-09 13:52:04
date last changed
2023-05-02 11:19:39
@article{970a15d4-67c1-4689-ac92-0c5c608c0af9,
  abstract     = {{<p>The tourism sector has recommitted itself to be ‘climate neutral’ by 2050 through its 2021 Glasgow Declaration: A Commitment to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action. The declared ambition is consistent with the Paris Climate Agreement and net-zero emission targets; however, lacks specific actions by which such a transition might be achieved. The highly influential International Energy Agency (IEA) has produced the most detailed global roadmap to a 2050 net-zero future. This paper examines its implications for the tourism sector. Getting to net-zero is imperative to ensure the societal disruption of a + 3 °C or warmer world are avoided, but the IEA net-zero scenario would nonetheless be as transformative for tourism as the internet was. International air travel and tourism growth projections from the tourism sector are not compatible with the IEA net-zero scenario. The geography of transition risk will influence tourism patterns unevenly. The incoherence of tourism and climate policy represents an increasing vulnerability for tourism development. While any business and destination in tourism can act immediately to reduce emissions, the findings compel a critical new research agenda to determine how the assumptions of the IEA, or any net-zero scenario, could be achieved and how this will affect tourism development.</p>}},
  author       = {{Scott, Daniel and Gössling, Stefan}},
  issn         = {{0966-9582}},
  keywords     = {{Carbon transition risk; decarbonization; International Energy Agency; net-zero; Paris Climate Agreement; sustainable tourism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{14--31}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Journal of Sustainable Tourism}},
  title        = {{Destination net-zero : what does the international energy agency roadmap mean for tourism?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1962890}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/09669582.2021.1962890}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}