Why We Need To Consider
Our Travel Environmental Impact

The travel industry has certainly become more eco friendly during the past few years. With more eco friendly lodges and hotels then ever, and great programs to lower your carbon footprint, it would seem the travel industry has more go green initiatives! Keep reading to find out why we need to consider our travel environmental impact in terms of how much of a difference it’s actually making.

The Environmental Impact Of Travel

The travel and tourism industry produces about 5% of all global emissions, which means that travel plays a key role in the rise, or fall, of greenhouse gas emissions. The travel industry has a uniquely global impact making sustainability a collaborative effort on a similarly global scale, which is no easy feat. 

Making us question, can we truly travel the world without having a significant environmental impact? It is also important to think about the impact, to consider the whole picture of the impact and to make your own. Green washing is advertising and activities that are not environmentally friendly but appear to be environmentally friendly.  Making it even more important to consider your impact. 

The Roadblock Of Go Green Initiatives

While the demand for more sustainable travel options has never been higher, there are roadblocks in the way of many of these go green initiatives. These include things like limited availability of products in countries where you are traveling. Price premiums when it comes to more sustainable lodging as well as the price to produce more eco friendly options that have less of an environmental impact. 

Examining Go Green Initiatives

Read the article, Is The Electric Scooter Really Sustainable, and you will discover that while it seems to have less of an environmental impact, looks may be deceiving. The negative impact of the building process of these scooters far outweighs its eco friendliness. 

Hydroelectric power is another great example of a sustainable effort with global impact. While hydroelectric power is certainly more sustainable than the use of fossil fuels, it still poses a risk to wildlife. Hydropower does emit greenhouse gasses that can affect rivers and waterways. Hydroelectric dams and reservoirs also impact water temperatures, fish migration, and native plants and animals. To learn more about hydroelectric power read Why You Should Stay At This Hydroelectric Power Hotel. 

Although it may seem like an incredibly sustainable way to travel, nature travel can have both a positive and a negative environmental impact. Travelers typically pay fees for nature conservation and local development objectives, which undoubtedly has a positive impact. Studies also suggest that nature tourism has benefited certain species such as the green macaw in Costa Rica, the Cape penguin, the cheetah, and the golden lion tamarin in Brazil.

However, additional studies have shown that human presence makes certain animals less fearful and therefore easier prey. Elephants, for example, can become more aggressive with travelers. While other species have clearly been harmed by tourism, an example is the New Zealand sea lion,  the disturbance of breeding sites and the harms of intensive fishing in their habitat has caused a rapid decline. These animals have a global impact and their extinction could have significant environmental impact.

The truth is, it’s not easy to determine if we can travel the world without having a significant global impact on the environment. However, there are ways to sustainably travel that decrease your carbon footprint. Always remember to consider the environmental impact of your travel before renting that electric scooter instead of walking or biking while traveling. 

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