Tourism generates 8.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the 10 years before the pandemic, tourism emissions grew at 3.5% per year, twice as fast as the emissions growth rate for the global economy. The United States was the country with the greatest amount of tourism-related emissions, both from having the most residents participating in tourism and the most emissions as a tourist destination.
Although increasing technology and supply chain efficiency over the ten years tended to lower emissions, these factors haven’t matched the increase in the demand for tourism and contributors to emissions such as air travel and vehicular emissions. Of the top 20 countries contributing to tourist emissions, there is a 100-fold difference in emissions, largely because of per capita income levels. In low-income countries, few individuals have the money to be tourists, in contrast to high income countries like the United States. International scientists and United Nations agencies advise that the only feasible way to lower tourist greenhouse gas emissions is to decrease the number of tourists. This is critical if the world has any chance to meet the 2015 Paris Accords to keep global warming below 2 degrees C. Growth in tourist demand can’t be feasibly decoupled from increasing emissions. To meet the Paris Agreement of a 1.5-degree target, tourism needs to be cut in half by 2030 and more than 10% annually until 2050.
What does this mean in Sitka? The voter initiative to cap cruise tourist numbers at 300,000 per season is in line with halving our tourist volume by 2027. It would reduce Sitka-bound tourism emissions significantly, but not necessarily return emissions to pre-pandemic levels. The initiative doesn’t address independent tourists coming by plane. However, 7-day greenhouse gas emissions from Alaska cruise passengers exceed those coming by plane from Seattle, including their lodging, food, and transport which better support our Sitka businesses.
Economic prosperity determines if and how people travel. The worrisome economic and international impacts of tariffs may decrease cruise volume anyway. As a high emitting country that continues to lead global tourism emissions, the United States has an obligation to reduce tourist travel demand. Our impact on global warming is already influencing patterns of tourist demand for countries that are disproportionately affected by climate change through heat waves, fire smoke, sea level rise and reduced snow in winter sport destinations.
In Sitka, tourism-related greenhouse gas emissions that could be lowered include those caused by ships burning fossil fuel when docked and in diesel-powered land transport. However, we don’t have adequate electricity transmission lines out Halibut Point Road to the deep water docks for cruise ships and/or buses to plug in. The cost of upgrading transmission lines would be millions of dollars. The amount of electricity needed to support cruise ships and electric buses bringing thousands of passenger per day, even exceeding our population some days, would be overwhelming. Use of our hydropower should be prioritized to lower the rising cost of living in Sitka with electrification of building heating and resident land transport.
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Kay Kreiss, Transition Sitka
