WTTC reveals footprint data, emissions intensity decreased by more than 26% in 10 years Sector’s GDP grew 7.3% annually on average, whilst its greenhouse gas emissions increased by just 4% The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Saudi-based Sustainable Tourism Global Center have unveiled revolutionary new data detailing the climate footprint of the Travel & Tourism sector in the Asia Pacific region (APAC). According to the data, between 2010 and 2019, the APAC Travel & Tourism sector decoupled its economic growth from its greenhouse gas emissions. Woman tourist walking in Wangfujing food street at Beijing, China. Copyright (c) 2017 Maridav/Shutterstock The new data for the region reveals the total contribution to APAC’s GDP grew on average 7.3% annua...
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Greenhouse gases emitting from Arctic must be factored into global climate targets By the end of this century, permafrost in the rapidly warming Arctic will likely emit as much carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere as a large industrial nation, and potentially more than the U.S. has emitted since the start of the industrial revolution. But that’s only one possible future for the vast stores of carbon locked in the formerly perennially frozen but now-thawing ground in the Arctic. Using more than a decade of synthesis science and region-based models, a new study led by Northern Arizona University and the international Permafrost Carbon Network and published in Annual Review of Environment and Resources forecasts cumulative emissions from this “country of permafrost” through 2...
Read MoreRapid 20th century warming in the Gulf of Maine has reversed long-term cooling that occurred there during the previous 900 years, according to new research that combines an examination of shells from long-lived ocean quahogs and climate model simulations. The warming is “likely due to increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and changes in western North Atlantic circulation,” according to the paper, “Rapid 20th century warming reverses 900-year cooling in the Gulf of Maine,” published in Communications Earth & Environment, an open access journal from Nature Portfolio. An Arctica islandica shell perches on the railing of the ESS Pursuit during a research cruise in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, south of the Gulf of Maine. Credit: Image credit: Nina Whitney/ © Woods Hole Ocean...
Read MoreOf the 21 cities to host the Winter Olympics, only Sapporo, Japan would be able to provide fair and safe conditions to stage them again by the end of the century if greenhouse gases are not dramatically reduced, said a University of Waterloo study released on Tuesday. An international team of researchers, led by the University of Waterloo, reviewed historical climate data from the 1920s along with future climate change trends. They determined that winter playgrounds such as St. Moritz and Lillehammer could become Olympic relics by the mid to late century, with unreliable conditions ruling them out as Games hosts. A worker sets up an installation featuring Bing Dwen Dwen, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Mascot and Shuey Rhon Rhon, the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games Mascot, i...
Read MoreDriving, flying, shipping contribute nearly quarter of emissionsSome car makers commit to phasing out fossil-fuel vehiclesSome major economies and producers absent Automakers, airlines and governments unveiled a raft of pledges at the U.N. climate summit on Wednesday to slash greenhouse gas emissions from global transport, albeit with some conspicuous absences. Driving, flying and shipping contribute nearly a quarter of the world’s manmade greenhouse gas emissions, making transport a valuable target in the effort to fight climate change. FILE PHOTO: Exhaust fumes are seen coming from a vehicle stopped at traffic lights in Jakarta. REUTERS/Beawiharta U.S. car makers Ford and General Motors and Germany's Daimler read more were among a group that committed to phasing out fossil-f...
Read MoreWTTC launches ground-breaking Net Zero Roadmap for Travel & Tourism
Major new initiative will set the path for businesses in their quest to net zero As world leaders gather in Glasgow for COP26 to discuss concrete actions to solve the climate crises, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched an ambitious and groundbreaking Net Zero Roadmap, to guide the global Travel & Tourism sector in its battle against the climate crisis. WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, developed the roadmap in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Accenture. The roadmap provides concrete guidelines and recommendations to help guide Travel & Tourism businesses on their journey towards net zero. By providing milestones for meaningf...
Read MoreGreenhouse gas concentrations hit a record last year and the world is "way off track" in capping rising temperatures, the United Nations said on Monday in a stark illustration of the task facing climate talks in Glasgow. A report by the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed carbon dioxide levels surged to 413.2 parts per million in 2020, rising more than the average rate over the last decade despite a temporary dip in emissions during COVID-19 lockdowns. WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the current rate of increase in heat-trapping gases would result in temperature rises "far in excess" of the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average this century. "We are way off track," he said. "We need to revisit our industr...
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