Planning a vacation? Three ways to reduce your carbon footprint

During this holiday, planet Earth is likely to be hotter than ever. The research found that in 2024, global temperatures temporarily rose by 1.5°C above the average from 1850 to 1900 – a pre-industrial period when the first global temperatures were recorded.

This is a major concern because, to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change, global temperatures must be kept below this 1.5°C increase.

Businesses and governments in the Global North are the main culprits of carbon emissions and climate change. The concept of a “carbon footprint” was invented by large corporations in an attempt to shift the responsibility for reducing carbon emissions onto individuals. It’s not something we can easily control, but our own behaviors can make small, important changes.

The increase in floods, droughts and heatwaves caused by climate change calls for increased efforts by people to act more responsibly and reduce carbon emissions wherever they can.

I am an ecotourism specialist and human geographer who studies eco-friendly tourism and the impact of climate change on vacation destinations. I also studied how airports can reduce their carbon emissions.

Individuals can make a difference. We can all adopt a sustainable lifestyle approach and reduce our impact on the environment.

This holiday season, I recommend three areas that vacationers should pay close attention to if they want to reduce their carbon footprint:

• accommodation
• transportation
• food consumption.

By reducing polluting activities and wasting food and water, and burning less gasoline, individual travelers can significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Accommodation

It is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions, considering the amount of energy (for heating and cooling) and water resources consumed by travelers.

The first consideration for vacationers is therefore to ensure that their accommodation follows sustainable practices. The ultimate prize would be to book a green hotel or eco-lodge.

These are accommodation establishments designed to minimize wastage of water and energy. For example, eco-friendly accommodations must recycle and reuse waste and may serve primarily locally produced foods.

Ecolodges should preferably be connected to a public transportation system such as shuttle transportation. South Africa has several places to stay that fall into the green tourism category. Accommodation booking platforms such as TripAdvisor offer an overview of what’s on offer.

Other booking platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb have sustainability initiatives that are globally accredited in practicing green tourism. These offer travelers the opportunity to choose green accommodation in South Africa and beyond.

Travel and transportation

Transportation from origin to destination contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

The aviation industry contributes 2.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions through the contrail effect. These are the white trails of airplane exhaust pipes left in the sky, which surround the planet and warm it. Managing emissions from the transport sector is complex, but travelers have several options if they want to reduce their carbon footprint while on vacation.

First, you can minimize travel distance (travel locally) and use shared or public transportation to reduce your environmental and carbon footprint. Check the carbon footprint of the trip on platforms such as Google Travel and choose the airline that leaves the smallest carbon footprint.

Several airlines offer passengers the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions in order to achieve a net zero carbon footprint (no greenhouse gases emitted) for their trip. Aviation has taken steps to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, a date to which most countries around the world have committed.

If you are traveling by road, use electric vehicles wherever they are available. Where they are not yet, people should use the most fuel-efficient vehicle available. Vehicles must be well maintained, maintain the correct tire pressure, and drive at or below the maximum permitted speed. All of these factors impact your carbon footprint because a vehicle’s efficiency and speed determine the carbon emissions burned.

It is equally crucial that travelers only take the luggage they actually need. Traveling light reduces people’s carbon footprint, as each kilogram of weight increases fuel consumption.

Daily diet

Food is another significant contributor to our daily carbon footprint. This is why travelers should try to eat vegetables rather than meat dishes. Vegetables use less land, water and energy to grow. Tourists who cannot avoid meat dishes should strive to eat locally raised meat, which has not been trucked across the country and therefore has a lower carbon footprint.

Tackling climate change is everyone’s responsibility and we all have a vital role to play in reducing the carbon emissions that cause climate change. With this in mind, it is essential to think about how our actions, no matter how small, can contribute to the fight against climate change as a whole.

Sustainable living requires awareness and intention in our daily activities to ensure we leave a minimal environmental footprint.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.