European Carbon Footprint Grew by 16% in Aviation
During a virtual session organised by UN Tourism and the European Travel Commission (ETC) on measuring the carbon footprint of the tourism sector, Mabrian, a leading company in tourism intelligence, revealed the results of their new study on the impact of aviation on the carbon footprint and tourism sustainability of European destinations in 2023.
The study offers a thorough understanding of several significant topics, such as the primary indicators of the carbon footprint left by air travellers, the connection between this footprint and the amount of money generated by tourism at the destination, and the reliance on destinations on their origin markets and their distance from them. It also looks at the effects of long-haul travel and offers specific information on how much aircraft contribute to CO2 emissions in the travel and tourist sectors.
According to Mabrian, the following European nations will make a substantial contribution to CO2 emissions associated with aviation in 2023: the UK, Germany, Spain, Russia, and France. Based on incoming flight data to these nations, regardless of their origin, these countries account for a sizable share of the overall CO2 emissions produced by tourism. Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, and Greece are at the bottom of the list of the top 10 European nations in terms of CO2 volume created.
More specifically, the UK topped the list in 2023 with 31.4 million tonnes of CO2 produced, which is 18% of global emissions. With 20 million tonnes apiece, Germany and Spain came next, making up 12% of all emissions in Europe. With 18 million tonnes (10%) each, contributed, Russia and France came in fourth and fifth place, respectively. With 13 million tonnes (7%), Italy came in sixth, and the Netherlands came in seventh with 9 million tonnes (5%). Portugal and Switzerland, with respective outputs of 6 and 5 million tonnes, or 3% of the total, shared eighth and ninth place, respectively. At 4 million tonnes, Greece completed the list and accounted for 2% of global CO2 emissions.
The total amount of emissions increased by 16%, which is a substantial difference from 2022. There are several countries where this is particularly noteworthy, such as the UK (24.20% rise), Italy (22.69% increase), and France (15.93% increase).
Based on the analysed data, the aviation industry in Europe produced about 172 million tonnes of CO2 in 2023, which is equal to 4% of the total CO2 produced on the continent, based on estimations from the European Union. According to estimations from the European Union and the Encon consulting report, an estimated 7 billion trees a year, or 11% of Europe's total forest mass, are required to balance this carbon impact.
Carlos Cendra, partner and Director of Marketing and Communication at Mabrian, comments that “this analysis does not intend to point fingers at the aviation industry, which is essential for the tourism sector and is making significant strides in decarbonisation, but rather aims to raise awareness among tourist destinations of the need to measure the impact their visitors have on the environment, in order to act accordingly, take compensatory measures, and advance towards the Net Zero or climate neutrality goal set for 2050. Undoubtedly, measurement is the key to being able to take action and achieve the set objectives. On the other hand, we propose using cross-indicators, such as the relationship between carbon footprint and visitor-generated income in the destination’s local economy, which allow for better measurement of the impact from a balanced perspective.”
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