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Summer's almost here, and you're thinking about your vacation destination: beach or mountains, train or plane? But what about the carbon footprint of your trip? How can you make the choices that have the least impact on the planet, while still enjoying your vacation? That's what we're going to look at together in this article. 👇
As a reminder, tourism is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, as revealed by a study carried out by the University of Sydney, Australia, and directed by Manfred Lenzen (1). These emissions are due to transport, of course, but also to catering, hotels, waste and the various purchases made by travellers. Each and every one of our choices has an impact on our carbon footprint. That's why, with a little knowledge, it's possible to take action to limit our impact. But before we can share this valuable information with you, it's essential to understand which items are responsible for our summer emissions.
What are the main sources of vacation emissions?
Transportation
It's common to want to discover other regions of France or even the world during the summer, but this change of scenery is not without consequences for the planet.
In fact, transport generates more than three-quarters of the emissions generated by tourism (2). Unsurprisingly, air travel is the biggest emitter. Indeed, the distances covered by air are much greater than by car or train, which increases the carbon impact of air travel.
If you want to travel long distances, the train remains the best option. With an emission factor more than 4 times lower than that of a plane (compared with a short-haul plane) and more than 3 times lower than a car (compared with the average value), it's one of the least carbon-intensive means of transport.
On-site shopping
So before you leave, you can choose a more environmentally-friendly mode of transport, but the choices you make during your trip are equally important.
According to ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique), goods purchases and catering account for 13% of carbon emissions from tourism.
This shows that tourists' on-site behavior has a real impact on their total carbon footprint.
For example, an average meal in a restaurant is more emissive than a meal at home, because we tend to consume more than usual (in terms of quantity) and we also increase the quantity of meat products consumed.
Accommodation
Lodging is one of those emissions that we don't even think about, yet it accounts for 7% of tourism emissions.
Energy consumption, the purchase of intermediary products and the initial construction of buildings explain why the accommodation sector is in third place among the most emitting sectors.
With this in mind, we might be tempted to ask whether it's still possible to go on vacation with low greenhouse gas emissions? Of course it is! There are many good practices to put in place before or during your trip, and we'll tell you all about them in the rest of this article.
But first of all, do you really know the carbon footprint of your vacation? No ?! Take the test by answering our questionnaire, which will give you a good idea of the carbon footprint of your vacation.
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So what's your carbon footprint? Whatever your score (almost) everyone can reduce their carbon footprint even further, so here are a few best practices to put in place before or during your trip!
What are the best practices to adopt?
Travel local
To limit the total distance travelled, choose destinations close to home. Why not discover, or re-discover, a region of France. France abounds in diverse landscapes where you can recharge your batteries, work out or discover new activities.
To name just a few regions in France, the Ardèche and the Basque Country are magnificent destinations brimming with activities of all kinds.
Ardèche: https: //www.ardeche-guide.com
The Basque Country: https: //www.en-pays-basque.fr
Vive le train
If you still want to take your vacation abroad, and especially in Europe, choose the train, which emits far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the plane or car, for example.
What's more, if you choose to travel during the day, you'll be able to enjoy the scenery throughout the journey, and if you choose to travel at night, what could be more exotic than waking up in a country different from the one you fell asleep in?
Optimize your car journeys
The car is one of the most carbon-intensive means of transport, so it's best to avoid using it when you go on vacation. However, if you still have to use it, there are a few good practices you can follow to reduce its carbon impact:
- First of all, connect with carpoolers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per passenger. Platforms like Blablacar allow you to find temporary passengers simply and efficiently.
- Reduce the amount of cargo you carry, as more weight will increase your fuel consumption.
- Inflate your tires to increase your vehicle's efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.
- Choose an electric car.
Reduce your consumption of meat products
Did you know that, on average, a meal dominated by beef emits 14 times more greenhouse gases than a vegetarian meal? This difference is explained by the large quantity of greenhouse gases (notably methane) emitted by cows during the entire rearing process.
Drastically reducing your meat consumption, and especially your beef consumption, can significantly reduce your greenhouse gas footprint.
To maintain a balanced diet, you can turn to vegetable proteins such as chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans... which are less harmful to the environment.
Reduce the number of restaurant meals
As mentioned above, a meal in a restaurant is, on average, more emitting than a home-cooked meal. So, to reduce your carbon footprint, limit the number of meals you eat out, and spend more time behind the stove concocting delicious home-cooked meals.
Choose an approved home
Accommodation accounts for 7% of carbon emissions from tourism. To limit this impact, you can turn to eco-responsible lodgings that take into account not only the construction but also the day-to-day management of these spaces in their rating. This is a good way of limiting the weight of accommodation in the carbon footprint of your vacation.
Among the eco-labels recommended by ADEME are the following:
- Ecolabel
- Eco gite
- Green globe
- Or Gîte panda
You can also turn to booking platforms that specialize in eco-friendly accommodation, such as Vaovert(https://www.vaovert.fr).
Reduce the amount of souvenir "trinkets" you buy
When we go on vacation, we often want to bring back souvenirs, but we have to bear in mind that every object we buy has emitted and will continue to emit greenhouse gases, whether in its design, transport or end-of-life as waste. So it makes sense to limit your purchases of trinkets and other vacation souvenirs.
NB: shells and other elements of nature are not souvenirs you can take home either. In fact, this practice is punishable by fine, as it weakens the shoreline (see public service link), which is also detrimental to the planet.
You now have all the tools you need to reduce the carbon footprint of your travels, so that your summer vacations are kind to the planet!
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Sources :
(2): https: //presse.ademe.fr/2021/06/le-tourisme-durable-en-france-un-levier-de-relance-ecologique.html
