1 week Ago By Peter Lenaghan, Anders Furze
wof to come See all 7 stories . Climate change is directly affecting tourists’ holiday plans, as fires, floods and storms disrupt travel plans and threaten lives. Wildfires that hit the Greek holiday isles of Rhodes and Corfu during the last European summer are a case in point.
As the fires raged in forests close to towns, thousands of people – many of them holidaymakers from across the globe – gathered their children and possessions and fled by boat or by foot along the islands’ famous beaches. A sign warns tourists of extreme heat in California in July 2024. Credit: AP The wildfires in Greece highlight two related issues: global warming is making many popular holiday destinations less hospitable, just as international tourism wrestles with its own contribution to climate change.
“Most other sectors of the economy are trending downwards on their emissions; tourism continues to increase,” says Professor James Higham, an industry expert from Griffith University. According to figures published in 2021, tourism’s share of global emissions is said to be between eight and 10 per cent, but there are hopes the industry can reach net zero by 2050. Embracing greener travel In the meantime, options are growing for tourists wanting to minimise their environmental impact.
Copenhagen made waves earlier this year when it introduced “CopenPay”, a program rewarding tourists for cycling, taking public transport and even gardening in public parks..
